Suriname

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

Suriname was incorporated into the Priority Solidarity Zone in 1999. Cooperation with Suriname is mainly led by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD, French Development Agency) and the FFEM (French Global Environment Facility). The AFD has granted two soft loans over the last few years: €25 million to restore a section of the road between Paramaribo and Albina and €15 million to build a hospital in Albina, combined with a technical assistance component in the form of a subsidy of €1.1 million. Lastly, the embassy in Paramaribo has been implementing bilateral funding to support the Alliance Française branch in the capital and promote learning French. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Operational Programmes “Caribbean” and “Amazonia” enable the French Guiana Regional Council to involve Suriname in projects of common interest.

Bilateral military cooperation (training, joint exercises, logistical support) also supports cross-border security and capacity building to support the sovereignty of Suriname’s government. Jointly combatting illegal fishing is producing promising results but which have room for improvement, particularly since the creation of a coastguards corps in Suriname which carries out joint patrols with the French armed forces.