PARAMARIBO, Suriname - President Jennifer Greelings-Simons has sought to clarify reports that the Suriname government has been holding talks with the Chinese multinational Chinalco, insisting that her administration is not holding discussions with Chinalco.
President Jennifer Greelings-Simons, speaking at the news conference on her return from Brazil.President Greelings-Simons, who returned here over the last weekend from Brazil, told reporters that she is aware of discussions between Vice President Gregory Rusland, and a delegation from the Chinese company last week regarding the bauxite sector.
“He said people had asked to talk, and he would listen. And I think he did. Chinalco requested a meeting with the vice president, and that happened,” President Greelings-Simons told reporters.
A statement issued last week by the official Directorate for Public Communications (DVC) indicated that the cabinet will renegotiate with the Chinese company to reach a more favourable agreement for Suriname.
“The Memorandum of understanding (MoU signed by the Santokhi/Brunswijk government with bauxite company Chinalco in November 2024 will be reevaluated. According to Acting President Gregory Rusland, the intention is for the new round of negotiations to result in an agreement that better aligns with Suriname’s national interests,” according to the press release that had been issued by DVC under the heading “Government Re-Engages in Negotiations with Chinalco”.
The government statement said that the Chinalco’s plan involves mining bauxite in West Suriname and that the agreement in principle with the previous government signed in November last year included an investment of approximately US$426 million for the construction of a mine and associated infrastructure near Apoera.
Suriname would hold a 13 per cent stake and be represented in the management of the joint venture, the statement said.
However, the project’s implementation stalled after residents of Apoera and surrounding villages fiercely protested the agreement.
But President Greelings-Simons insists that the government has not held formal discussions with Chinalco.
“We don’t refuse to talk to people; we talk to everyone,” she said, adding “we have said, under no circumstances will we export bauxite”.
Rusland told the online publication, Starnieuws, that the President has been kept informed of all important matters, saying “I regularly contact the President for coordination, even when she is abroad”.
According to Rusland, he received a request to receive the Chinalco chief executive officer during the weekend of November 1 and that the Chinese official had arrived here on November 3 for a short visit.
Rusland said that he met with the Chinese official “and informed the president in advance,, adding that during the meeting he made it clear he disagreed with the agreement presented by the previous government.
“It can never be the intention for Suriname to only export raw materials, as stated in the initial MOU. My position remains unchanged: raw materials must be processed here so that added value is created and Suriname benefits more.”
He said that any agreement must also consider the interests of local communities and the country’s environmental requirements.
“The CEO indicated he wanted to discuss this. I indicated that the government will formulate its position,” said Rusland, adding that he believes Suriname should remain open to discussions with legitimate investors, but only on the basis of clear conditions.
“We must be mindful of international power dynamics, but at the same time, we must clearly define our own goals. We’re not chasing away serious investors, but they must contribute to sustainable development and local added value.”
President Greelings-Simons during the news conference, also addressed the perceived contradiction between forest conservation and the need for economic development, insisting that in keeping with the government’s policy direction, Suriname aims to maintain at least 90 per cent forest cover.
However, the soil also contains enormous mineral resources, so choices will have to be made.
“We’re going to have to make choices, I’ve said that internationally as well. And if the international community wants us to have an easier time with those choices, they’ll have to compensate us for the forest, because then we can weigh up our options.”
She believes that Suriname’s oil reserves can help curb the pace of potential deforestation “because we expect that to generate revenue”.
However, President Greelings-Simons said that the drive for economic development also requires care “otherwise, you’ll have other problems”.
The Head of State also provided an update on the sale of carbon credits, saying “there has been a meeting with the German bank, and two potential buyers, Bayer and Siemens, have been identified.
“This is the first step in the complex process of monetizing the credits,” she added.
