India to be Suriname’s ‘fellow traveller’ in development: Jaishankar

S Jaishankar affirmed India’s commitment to partner with Suriname in its development journey, highlighting cooperation in trade, AI, digital technology and climate resilience during a Joint Commission meeting in Paramaribo

Paramaribo: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India sees Suriname’s growth potential and assured the South American nation that New Delhi would be its “fellow traveller and partner” in its development journey.

Addressing a press interaction after a Joint Commission meeting, Jaishankar said India and Suriname were taking forward cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade, tourism, digital capabilities and artificial intelligence. The meeting set out “more ambitious goals and targets” for bilateral ties, he said. The minister is on a three-nation tour to the Caribbean from May 2 to 10. He reached Suriname on Wednesday.

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Referring to development projects supported by India, he highlighted a passion fruit processing unit that has recently been completed and an “Early Warning Services Delivery Project” for flood management remote areas.

The minister said trade between India and the Latin American and Caribbean region is currently in the ballpark of about USD 40 to 45 billion annually. On capacity building and technology cooperation, he said India was willing to share its experience in digital practices and capabilities as countries move into an “AI era”.

“We had a participation from your (Suriname’s) government at the ministerial level at the recent AI Impact Summit (in New Delhi), and the discussion there was how we each adapt and deploy AI for our particular circumstances,” he said. “Suriname is on the move, we see your growth potential, we see the path ahead for you, and we, Minister, want to assure you, of your fellow traveller and your partner in that journey,” he said.

Describing India and Suriname as “two nations with shared history and a common commitment to the Global South”, Jaishankar said the two countries worked closely at the United Nations and multilateral bodies.