The president of Suriname, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, departed the country on Sunday to attend the upcoming summit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The four-day meeting of regional leaders is scheduled to begin on Tuesday and will bring together heads of government to discuss a range of key regional issues.
The trip marks Geerlings-Simons’ first CARICOM summit since her coalition administration took office in July last year, making her the Dutch-speaking nation’s first female head of state.
Speaking before leaving Suriname, the president said the summit is particularly significant for the country, noting that Foreign Affairs Minister Melvin Bouva is set to assume the chairmanship of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in May.
According to the president, discussions at the summit will focus on several priority areas including regional connectivity, strengthening trade, joint production—especially in agriculture—and addressing the vulnerability of Caribbean nations to climate change.
“Those are the most important issues,” she said, adding that bilateral meetings are also expected to take place alongside the main sessions.
“Bilateral talks always take place on the sidelines of these kinds of meetings. These often result in agreements that are important for the countries,” Geerlings-Simons said.
She noted that Suriname continues to benefit from strong coordination within the regional bloc.
“We will have to determine together how we will proceed in a world that is changing rapidly in various areas,” she added.
