Cuba–Suriname relations

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Cuba–Suriname relations
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Cuba 		Flag of Suriname.svg
Suriname

Diplomatic relations between Cuba and Suriname were established on 23 March 1979. [1] Suriname has had an embassy in Havana since 2003. [2] Cuba has had an embassy in Paramaribo since 1981. [3]

Contents

History

Desi Bouterse (left) and Raul Castro (right) at a CARICOM meeting (2011) Desi Bouterse & Raul Castro.jpg
Desi Bouterse (left) and Raúl Castro (right) at a CARICOM meeting (2011)
Embassy of Cuba in Paramaribo Cubaanse ambassade in Paramaribo.jpg
Embassy of Cuba in Paramaribo

After the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état, Fidel Castro was the first head of state to offer his congratulations to Desi Bouterse. [4] Cuba established an embassy in Paramaribo in 1981, which developed into the largest diplomatic mission in Suriname. [3] [5] The murder of Maurice Bishop in 1983, and subsequent invasion of Grenada, was followed by the downgrading of the Cuban embassy to a diplomatic post with a chargé d'affaires [5] and the expulsion of 105 Cuban diplomats and advisors. [6] The National Military Council denied a correlation between the expulsion and the events in Grenada. [7]

In 1998, President Wijdenbosch made a state visit to Cuba and promised to renew diplomatic relations. [8] In 2006, the Cuban embassy was re-established. [9] In 2011, there was a state visit by President Bouterse to Cuba to discuss trade. [10]

Cuba has sent many medical doctors to Suriname. [11] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 50 doctors were dispatched to Suriname. [12] Cuba also provided scholarships and medical education; however, the program was cancelled in August 2020. [13] In the 2020s, Cuban refugees increasingly used Suriname as a transit country to the United States. [14] In January 2021, a group of 500 Cubans stranded in South Drain, where they were denied access to Guyana, from which they had hoped to catch a flight to the United States. [15]

Trade

Trade between Suriname and Cuba is negligible. In 2019, Suriname exported US$242,000 worth of goods to Cuba with the main product being wood. [16] [17] Cuba exported US$318,000 worth of goods, with the main product being detonating fuses. [18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Lijst van Diplomatieke betrekkingen en visum afschaffing" (PDF). Surinamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Dutch). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "Antonius ambassadeur Suriname op Cuba". Waterkant (in Dutch). 31 March 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Ambassadeur van Cuba in Suriname presenteert zich". Amigoe via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  4. ↑ "Surinaamse leiders koersen naar links militair regime". Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). 20 March 1982. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Felle kritiek op VS-invasie". Amigoe via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 26 October 1983. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Legal narratives of the invasion of Grenada, 1983 | Institute of Advanced Legal Studies". ials.sas.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Bouterse zet 105 Cubanen uit Suriname". Het Parool via Delpher.nl (in Dutch). 31 October 1983. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "Suriname en Cuba halen banden aan" . NRC (in Dutch). 15 January 1999. Retrieved 28 December 2021. Wijdenbosch confirmed that the relationship was severed because of Grenada
  9. ↑ "Na 23 jaar weer Cubaanse ambassade in Suriname". Waterkant (in Dutch). 1 June 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Bouterse weer in Suriname na staatsbezoek Cuba". Waterkant. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "Cuba heeft historie van zending medici naar crisislanden". Suriname Herald (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Suriname krijgt ondersteuning van vijftig Cubaanse gezondheidswerkers voor COVID-19". Suriname Herald (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "Medische studenten Suriname worden teruggehaald uit Cuba". Suriname Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  14. ↑ "Het martelaarschap van Cubanen". Dagblad Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Vluchtelingen moeten regering niet onder druk zetten". Dagblad De West (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  16. ↑ "TP_TP_CI". tradecompetitivenessmap.intracen.org. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  17. ↑ "Suriname (SUR) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners". The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  18. ↑ "Suriname/Cuba". Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
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