WITH THE NOW With the ongoing General Assembly of the United Nations, diplomacy, international and bilateral cooperation are once again in the spotlight. Press releases were issued from the government about, among other things, freer movement of people Ghana and Panama. Of course, the movement of people between countries is important, but Surinamese diplomacy must go further than just making it easier or unhindered for citizens to travel. The essential question is: what concrete results and economic benefits do diplomacy, international and mutual cooperation bring to Suriname?
For a small developing country, diplomacy is not a luxury and should not be an end in itself. It is an instrument that can be used to open doors that are difficult to open on their own. Suriname has natural resources, fertile soil, water, forest, minerals and is strategically located. At the same time, there is often a lack of money, technology, specialized knowledge and scale to make optimal and sustainable use of these possibilities. This is precisely where economic diplomacy must play a central role.
The success of diplomacy cannot be measured by the number of countries a Surinamese can go to without a visa
A current example is in China. At the Nanpi Ecological-Agricultural Experimental Station, techniques have been developed over decades to make salinized soils productive. Crops have been developed and selected that are more resistant to salt and methods have been developed to use even relatively saline groundwater for irrigation in a controlled manner. This technology has now been applied to millions of hectares. This is interesting for Suriname because parts of its coastal plain also suffer from salinization.
It is precisely these possibilities that diplomacy should focus on. Don’t just stop with protocol pleasantries and nice words about strengthening ties of friendship, but start talking to research institutes, universities, companies and governments. Investigate which technology is useful, which adjustments are needed for Surinamese circumstances and how knowledge transfer, training and financing can be arranged.
Suriname can use international cooperation to modernize agriculture, education, energy supply, water management, healthcare, digitalization, infrastructure, tourism and industrial processing. Why only export raw materials when diplomacy can also be used to attract investors and technology for more processing at home?
Economic diplomacy also means that embassies and diplomats function much more emphatically as economic forward posts. They must identify opportunities, interest investors, establish contacts between Surinamese and foreign companies and actively search for technology, financing and markets that benefit Surinamese companies.
Suriname does not have to limit itself to one country or power bloc. A small country in particular has an interest in maintaining broad relationships and examining per sector where cooperation can yield the most without compromising sovereignty and dignity.
Visa-free travel is pleasant and facilitates contacts between people and countries. But the success of diplomacy cannot be measured by the number of countries a Surinamese can go to without a visa. It must ultimately also become visible on agricultural fields, in companies, new export products, jobs and knowledge that is transferred to Suriname.
The real value of diplomacy lies not only in the doors that open for Surinamese people abroad, but especially in the economic development that ultimately enters Suriname through those opened doors.
