PARAMARIBO, Suriname, President Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi held a bilateral with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Netherlands on Sunday, the state-owned Suriname Communication Service (SCS) has reported.
It said that Santokhi, due home on Monday after attending the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in India last week, said that the issue of an apology for the Dutch involvement in the slave trade was also discussed.
SCS said President Santokhi and Prime Minister Rutte also discussed international developments and bilateral cooperation about, among other things, oil and gas, the outstanding treaty resources, which will be allocated to the health sector, and the agricultural industry.
Rutte had late last year made a public apology in Suriname for his country’s involvement in the slave trade, and according to the SCS in Suriname, the dialogue regarding the way forward following the apology has already started.
It said the government wants a coordinated, integral, and holistic approach to the colonial past in all facets and that the discussion and dialogue are essential starting points.
Foreign Affairs, International Business, and International Cooperation Minister Albert Ramdin and his Dutch colleague Wopke Hoekstra were also at the Sunday meeting.
Suriname and the Netherlands are establishing working groups to discuss future cooperation.
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