India-Suriname ties rooted in ‘family’ bond: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said India sees Suriname “not as a distant partner” but as “family”, as the two countries mark 50 years of diplomatic relations.

Writing in the Times of Suriname newspaper ahead of his visit to the country on Wednesday (May 6, 2026), Mr. Jaishankar said ties had expanded into a “robust, multifaceted engagement” covering infrastructure, trade, training and cultural links.

He said India and Suriname had strengthened cooperation through high-level exchanges, including a visit by former Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi to India in 2023 for a gathering of the Indian diaspora, followed by a visit to Suriname by Indian President Droupadi Murmu later that year.