Talks on Corentyne River Bridge making headway

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has endorsed the project to construct the Corentyne River Bridge, which will physically link Guyana to Suriname after its completion.

This was according to Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett at the ministry’s annual end-of-year meeting on Monday.
Minister Birkett noted that after resolving the border issues earlier in 2014, when the border committees of both countries met, talks pertaining to the construction of the Corentyne River Bridge continued.
She added that the Surinamese have so far approached the Chinese with the hope of negotiating for a Chinese construction team to begin works on the project.
“We have recently approved, at Cabinet, some of the construction to be done on our side in terms of access, because we have to be prepared; we don’t know if it is an ‘if-or-when’ situation.”

UNASUR PROGRAMME
Minister Birkett said: “I think it’s the final physical linkage, linking all of South America together. That is why it is also under the Union of South America (UNASUR) programme of infrastructure, as one of the major projects to be done.”

DESIGN OF THE BRIDGE
In February, the Foreign Affairs Minister, had noted that plan swere well under way, in that engineers are presently working on what the bridge will look like in terms of design.
In February she also noted that “Guyana, at the request of Suriname, has informed the Chinese Government that we are supportive of the bridge across the Corentyne River,” she said.
She added that the Guyana Government has also sent “No Objection” letters to the Foreign Ministries of Suriname and China in support of the construction of the bridge, so it is a perfectly legal project.
In 2010, then President, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo and his Surinamese counterpart, Mr. Desi Bouterse signed an accord for the undertaking of a feasibility study on bridging the Corentyne River, with both countries pledging to pursue a closer working relationship.
During a meeting in Suriname in 2012, Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar and Suriname’s President Bouterse had agreed to move to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to seek joint financing for construction of the bridge.
At that meet, the two heads reiterated the significance of building the structure, noting that it would considerably enhance trade and economic relations and cultural exchanges between the peoples of the two nations.