Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons has touched down in Brazil for a high-stakes official working visit focused on expanding bilateral collaboration across multiple key policy areas, according to official government announcements. The visit, which kicked off after months of detailed pre-negotiations between the two nations, will center on deepening economic partnerships, advancing agricultural development, boosting cross-border security, and advancing regional integration across South America.
Simons is not traveling alone: she is accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes five cabinet ministers and a team of technical specialists, covering every priority sector set for the talks. The delegation includes Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation Minister Melvin Bouva, Transport, Communication and Tourism Minister Raymond Landveld, Social Affairs and Housing Minister Diana Pokie, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Minister Mike Noersalim, and Defense Minister Uraiqit Ramsaran.
The centerpiece of the Brazil trip will be a formal meeting between Simons and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, where the two leaders are set to lay the foundational framework for future strategic cooperation between Suriname and Brazil. Ahead of the presidential summit, Surinamese ministers have already held preliminary working sessions with their Brazilian counterparts to hash out details of concrete joint projects, streamlining negotiations ahead of the leaders’ meeting.
Each minister will lead sector-specific discussions aligned with their portfolios. Landveld will prioritize upgrading direct air connectivity between the two countries to boost trade and tourism flows. Pokie will travel to Brazil to study the country’s landmark Bolsa Familia social welfare program, with an eye toward adapting successful frameworks for Suriname’s own social policy initiatives. Noersalim will lead talks on advancing sustainable agricultural development, expanding farmer training programs, and coordinating regional responses to cassava witches’ broom disease, a devastating pathogen that threatens cassava production across the entire region. For the defense portfolio, discussions will focus on enhancing joint border patrols, protecting shared border territories, and securing shared airspace against transnational security threats.
Following the conclusion of her official engagements in Brazil, Simons and her full delegation will travel onward to the Dominican Republic for a second leg of the overseas trip. This visit is framed as primarily exploratory and economic, with a core goal of attracting new foreign direct investment to Suriname, particularly in the agricultural and tourism sectors.
Simons will use the Dominican Republic leg to explore new models of collaboration between Suriname’s landowners, national government, and international investors that can drive growth in agricultural output and expand Suriname’s tourism footprint. The presidential delegation is scheduled to return to Suriname on June 2 following the conclusion of both overseas engagements.