Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons has arrived in the Dominican Republic, the second stop of her ongoing foreign investment outreach tour, following an official visit to Brazil. Leading a small, high-level delegation that includes Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation Melvin Bouva and Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism Raymond Landveld, Simons is focused on unlocking new investment opportunities and deepening cross-border cooperation between the two Caribbean nations.
The mission kicked off with a series of preliminary engagements over the weekend, starting with exploratory talks on Saturday with executives from the Punta Cana Group, one of the Dominican Republic’s leading tourism conglomerates. The two sides discussed frameworks for long-term sustainable collaboration in the tourism sector, a key growth priority for the Surinamese government. Following the discussions, the delegation toured Punta Cana International Airport and the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone, gaining on-the-ground insight into how the Dominican Republic has developed its tourism and economic infrastructure to attract global investment.
On Sunday, the Surinamese delegation turned its attention to the energy sector, holding productive meetings with leaders from InterEnergy Group, one of the largest energy operators in the Dominican Republic. With operations spanning power generation, distribution, renewable energy development and energy infrastructure buildout across Latin America and the Caribbean, InterEnergy plays a critical role in powering the country’s major tourism and commercial zones. The talks centered on potential opportunities for the firm to partner with Suriname on expanding its own energy capacity to support economic growth.
The apex of Simons’ visit is scheduled for Monday, when she will hold official bilateral talks at the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo with Dominican President Luis Abinader. The closed-door meeting is expected to prioritize strengthening bilateral diplomatic and economic relations, as well as highlighting untapped investment opportunities in Suriname for Dominican stakeholders. Suriname’s government has made clear it is actively welcoming private sector investment from the Dominican Republic, with a particular focus on the agriculture and tourism industries, which Suriname identifies as core pillars for driving long-term inclusive growth and sustainable national development.