President Ali to meet with Surinamese President soon

Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali could as early as this weekend meet with Surinamese President Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons to advance talks on the construction of the Corentyne River Bridge.

This was revealed by President Ali during a brief interview with reporters on Monday.

“I think very early, maybe over this weekend, there will be a face-to-face meeting with the President of Suriname. The ministries are working that out,” he said.

At the moment, it remains undecided if that meeting will take place in Guyana or Suriname.

President Ali said among the topics for discussion between the two Heads of State will be the Corentyne River Bridge.

“That is part of what we’re discussing, the financing mechanisms, how it will be structured, and those kinds of things. That is what has to be done…the meeting this weekend hopefully would clarify and would settle what the priorities are for Suriname at this time,” he noted.

Earlier that day, President Ali had met with Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melvin Bouva, at State House.

The Office of the President noted that the discussions focused on Guyana’s commitment to the Corentyne River Bridge project; collaboration with Suriname to resolve issues affecting fisherfolk; improving the efficiency of the Guyana–Suriname ferry system; and exploring joint investment opportunities.

It has been reported that the high-span Corentyne River bridge will run approximately 3.1 kilometres (km) connecting Moleson Creek in Guyana to South Drain in Suriname with a landing on Long Island in the Corentyne River, where a commercial hub and tourist destination will be established. That free zone will see major infrastructural development such as hotels, recreational parks, entertainment spots, tourist attractions, malls, and farmers’ markets.

Both Guyana and Suriname have settled on Chinese construction company, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), as the preferred contractor to build the new bridge.

Back in October 2024, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had indicated that the contract between the contractor and the two countries would be signed as soon as the financing mechanism for the bridge is sorted out.