GEORGETOWN, Guyana –Guyana is urging the private sector here as well as in Suriname to cooperate more saying that they should regard the two countries as a shared economic space.
Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation, Albert RamdinSenior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, speaking at the launch of the flagship store of the Surinamese company, Optiek Ninon, here, said the “occasion is symbolic because it demonstrates that which is possible. Suriname is the natural and obvious expansion of the Guyanese market”.
Singh said that while Guyana and Suriname have been collaborating for many years, the potential for the two economies to function in oneness, has largely remained untapped.
Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation, Albert Ramdin, who spoke at the event, added “we are one market and we have to expand that market to create business opportunities, to create opportunities for growth”.
He said that each country offers unique opportunities and capable people, and that the question now is how they mobilize those resources.
Singh said that Presidents Irfaan Ali and Chandrikapersad Santokhi have been exploring how they can achieve a more effective integration of the shared economic space. Santokhi is due to end a four-day official visit to the country this weekend.
Private sector leaders from the two countries met on Thursday o discuss collaborative measures with a statement indicated that the discussions focused on oil and gas, low carbon strategies, and several other areas of mutual interest.
Optiek’s founder, Derrick Klaverweide, said the company’s entrance to the Guyanese market, though an adjustment, is good.
“We have more in common than what differentiates us,” he said, while Optiek Ninon’s managing director, Danielle Elkerbout, said “we feel like home”.
