Remarks to the Governor General of Canada by Ambassador Henry L. Illes of the Republic of Suriname on the Occassion of the Presentation of His Credentials, Februrary 12, 2003, Quebec City, Canada

Your Excellency,

I have the honor and privilege to present to you the letters of recall of my predecessor Mr. ARNOLD THEODOOR HALFHIDE and letters by which HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT RUNALDO RONALD VENETIAAN accredits me to Canada as AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY of the Republic of Suriname. It is also a special privilege to personally convey to you my PRESIDENT warm greetings and good wishes for the health and prosperity of you and the people of Canada, in further witness of the close diplomatic relations that our countries have always had.

Allow me to begin my brief remarks by acknowledging the invaluable work that the Canadian Government and private sector are conducting in Suriname despite the difficult economic and financial situation in the world today. In recent years the Canadian private sector has expressed much interest in our mining and agriculture sectors.

On January 25th, of this year, I accompanied His Excellency President Venetiaan to the district Brokopondo, where he started with the construction of the "Rosebel Gold Mining Factory ". This gold mine will be operational in fourteen months and requires an investment of approximately 140 million US Dollars. The project will employ about 125 workers, which will be mainly recruited from the interior. The principal investor, the Canadian company CAMBIOR, has pledged that it will conduct all its activities in a way, that the general living condition of the population in the mining areas will be preserved and improved.

Suriname still has a large supply of under-exploited natural resources. These resources have always formed an important base for our economic development. We are however aware of the fact that our well being is directly related to a healthy functioning of our environmental systems. We are therefore very pleased to co-operate with CAMBIOR, which helps us to exploit our natural resources in a sustainable and Eco-responsible way.

This month another Canadian counterpart ("Pan Pacific Company") will start in cooperation with "the Agricultural Platform Cooperation of Suriname" an ambitious agriculture project in which approximately 30 million US Dollars will be invested. This project will have the potential to bring into our economy annually about 17 million US dollars.

The expansion of the trade with Canada has just begun and Suriname is eagerly looking forward to widen the trade patterns between our countries. We value old friends and old trading partners, but we are similarly anxious to establish warm relations with new trading partners, to accommodate these true friends and to establish new and equal avenues of trade.

Your Excellency,

The process set by our Head of States at the Summit of the Americas offers unique opportunities to foster cooperation among countries in our hemisphere. Suriname is ready to play its part in collaboration with the countries of this hemisphere, and it is in this sense that I wish to renew, on behalf of my government, our highest appreciation for the invaluable work that the Canadian Government has been doing in this respect.

Canada and Suriname are different in many ways, in particular in size, economic development and international political influence in the world. However our people have many things in common. We share many values and are committed to many equal goals. Our common desire for sovereignty, world peace and safety, economic development, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy, prosperity and mutual friendships are just a few of our shared values.

All the above spurs the Government of Suriname to strongly renew its sincere hope that the fruitful cooperation that already exists between our countries and people will continue to grow stronger and represent an enduring anchor in the complex panorama of modern international relations.

I consider it a great honor to have the opportunity to work with the Government of Canada towards achieving our common goals.

Thank you very much.

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