China and Suriname enjoy a longstanding tradition of friendly exchanges, said President of the Republic of Suriname Chandrikapersad Santokhi during his recent visit to China.
President Santokhi paid a state visit to China from April 11 to 17 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Santokhi noted that that the earliest Chinese migrants to Suriname arrived as far back as the mid-19th century, opening a new chapter in the history of friendly exchanges between China and Suriname.
"My country, which was the first country [in the Caribbean] where the Chinese people came 170 years ago. My country was the first one they visited as indentured laborers. And from that moment they stayed. And I think this is the most important reason why there is a strong bond between Suriname and China. The cooperation started 170 years ago based on people-to-people contact and from that people-to-people contact, the business started in Suriname, community business, grocery business, small and medium enterprises after the independence of my country," the president said.
In May 2018, Suriname signed a memorandum of understanding with China to jointly build the Belt and Road, which aims to boost connectivity through infrastructure.
Since then, the two countries have embarked on numerous mutually beneficial projects within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework, including airport roads, the Regional Hospital Wanica, and the Suriname Agricultural Technical Cooperation Center.
"The diplomatic relations started between Suriname and China, because of the history, because of the bond, because of the people-to-people contact and business. After the diplomatic relations, we entered a new era of cooperation, and that is why we should be the first in the Caribbean together as the first country in formal cooperation and also the first country to sign the Belt and Road Initiative," Santokhi said.
China, Suriname enjoy longstanding tradition of friendly exchanges: president
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran have agreed to continue cooperation and bridge differences within the framework of the relevant international agreements, according to President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami on Tuesday.
Eslami made the statement at a joint press conference with Rafael Grossi, visiting director general of the IAEA, following their meeting earlier in the day in the central Iranian province of Isfahan.
Eslami said the IAEA should remain unaffected by external "political influence and pressures" and play a professional role.
In addition, on the sixth anniversary of the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Eslami once again emphasized Iran's position on the issue.
"Iran did not withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. It was the U.S. that tore up the deal and failed to fulfill its responsibilities and did not allow other countries to cooperate on it," said Eslami.
Also speaking at the press conference, Grossi said that the IAEA has engaged in thorough and constructive discussions with Iran, charting a roadmap for future cooperation. Both sides will continue to collaborate and engage in dialogue, while earnestly addressing remaining differences, according to Grossi.
Grossi emphasized that the IAEA will fulfill its responsibilities to play a role in promoting the return of the nuclear deal to the right track.
"We need to work together in order to be in a better place, in order to put things back on track, in order to facilitate as well return to wider agreements in the form of the JCPOA or any other form that Iran may wish to agree," he said.
Grossi arrived in Iran on Monday to attend an international nuclear conference and meet a number of the country's high-ranking officials.
Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. However, the United States withdrew from the agreement in May 2018, reinstating sanctions and prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.
Efforts to revive the JCPOA commenced in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria, but despite multiple rounds of negotiations, no substantial progress has been reported since the last talks in August 2022.
IAEA, Iran agree to continue cooperation, bridge differences
