At the invitation of His Excellency Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan, President of the Republic of Suriname, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General, Mr. Edwin Carrington will participate in Suriname’s 25th Anniversary celebrations on 25-26 November 2000.
Mr. Carrington has also been invited by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Maria Levens to make a presentation on the regional integration process during a working lunch with the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Suriname.
Mr. Carrington is being accompanied by Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, Assistant Secretary- General, Foreign and Community Relations at the CARICOM Secretariat.
The Republic of Suriname became a member of CARICOM in 1995 and, in 1999, made its debut as Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM. During its six-month tour of duty, Suriname hosted the 10TH Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference during the first quarter of the year.
Suriname, in addition to being Chairman of the Conference, also held the Chairmanship of the second highest body in the Community, the Community Council, as well as the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), recording a distinction as the first CARICOM Member State to have held so many positions of leadership in the Community simultaneously.
The Republic of Suriname gained independence on 25 November 1975. The former Dutch colony has been an equal partner of The Kingdom of the Netherlands since the 1950s.
