On September 11, in a landmark gathering marking half a century of diplomatic relations between the two South American nations, Suriname and Venezuela formalized a sweeping new set of bilateral cooperation agreements during an official working visit by Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez to Suriname’s capital. The signing ceremony, held at the Presidential Palace following high-level talks between Rodríguez and her Surinamese counterpart President Jennifer Simons, saw the two leaders put pen to paper on nine binding cooperation documents and one joint statement that expand partnership across nearly a dozen key sectors.
The agreements cover a wide range of mutually beneficial areas including fisheries and aquaculture, agri-food systems and productive alliances, civil aviation, tourism, oil and gas exploration and development, higher education, specialized vocational training, academic exchange, and diplomatic professional development. Throughout the bilateral discussions, senior officials from both administrations placed particular strategic focus on advancing food security, deepening economic integration, and improving cross-border connectivity. Additional topics on the negotiation agenda included livestock development, bilateral trade and investment promotion, energy security, and regional public safety.
One of the most concrete near-term cooperation priorities discussed is the potential supply of affordable urea fertilizer from Venezuela to Suriname’s domestic agricultural sector. Leaders from both nations emphasized that expanded collaboration in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries will directly strengthen regional food sovereignty, boost domestic production output, and build greater economic resilience for both populations. In her opening remarks during the talks, President Simons noted that while Suriname and Venezuela already share close political and diplomatic ties, it is long past time to bring economic cooperation in line with that strong foundational relationship. “The true measure of our partnership’s success must be tangible, sustainable improvements for the people of both our nations,” Simons stated.
Alongside new cooperation initiatives, the leaders also addressed a long-standing open dispute related to the Venezuelan state-owned oil giant Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). The issue centers on a third-party executive attachment order placed on PDVSA assets located in Suriname, which is tied to the Suriname-Venezuela Petrocaribe compensation mechanism. Simons clarified that legal proceedings around the dispute are still ongoing, with no final court ruling issued to date, and asked Rodríguez to share updates on any recent developments from the Venezuelan government side. She reaffirmed Suriname’s commitment to resolving all outstanding bilateral questions through constructive, mutually respectful dialogue.
To strengthen long-term bilateral engagement, the two nations have agreed to revitalize existing bilateral consultation frameworks. President Simons proposed hosting meetings of the Suriname-Venezuela Political Consultation Mechanism and the Joint Suriname-Venezuela Commission in the first half of 2027, where delegates will work out further details for expanded technical cooperation across all agreed sectors.
In her response, Rodríguez thanked the government and people of Suriname for the timely humanitarian assistance Suriname provided to Venezuela following the devastating June 24 earthquake that struck the country. She echoed Simons’ focus on agricultural and livestock cooperation, noting that these partnerships are critical to shoring up food security across the entire South American region. For her part, Simons said Suriname is closely monitoring recent political and economic developments in Venezuela and extended wishes for continued stability and inclusive development for the country. Rodríguez extended a formal invitation to Simons for a reciprocal official visit to Venezuela, though no date has been publicly announced for the trip. Wednesday’s meeting marked the first in-person meeting between Rodríguez and Simons since Simons took office as Suriname’s head of state, and comes 50 years after the two nations first established formal diplomatic relations in 1975.