This article outlines the diplomatic relationship between India and Suriname: its establishment, visits by heads of state and ministers, parliamentary exchanges, the Joint Commission mechanism and cooperation in international forums. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of June 2026.
Establishment and character of relations
India and Suriname established diplomatic relations in 1976. According to the MEA brief of June 2026, the relationship is "close, warm and friendly", reinforced by cultural and people-to-people contacts bridged by the arrival of the Indian diaspora, which it dates back one and a half centuries. The brief states that several high-level visits have been exchanged since relations were established.
Presidential visits from India
President Droupadi Murmu visited Suriname from 04-06 June 2023. It was her maiden foreign visit, and the brief describes it as a significant milestone in bilateral relations. She was a State Guest at the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Suriname, accompanied by a delegation that included Smt. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Rural Development, and Smt. Rama Devi, MP (Lok Sabha).
During the visit, President Murmu was conferred the 'Grand Order of the Chain of the Yellow Star', which the brief describes as the highest civilian honour of Suriname. MoUs were signed on cooperation in the regulation of medical products, recognition of the Indian Pharmacopeia, and a Joint Work Plan for Agriculture and Allied Sectors for the period of 2023-2027.
Former President Ram Nath Kovind visited Suriname in June 2018 with a delegation. MoUs signed during that visit covered collaboration between electoral authorities, the National Archives and diplomatic institutes, and the establishment of a Center of Excellence in ICT.
Visits and meetings with Surinamese leaders
Former President Chandrikapersad Santokhi visited India in January 2023. He addressed the PBD Convention on 9th January and delivered a keynote address at the Madhya Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023. In his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, discussions covered a wide range of bilateral topics. He also visited the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain and the Jamnagar Refinery and Petrochemicals complex.
Prime Minister Modi and President Santokhi also interacted at COP26 in Glasgow. On 20 November 2024, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met former President Chandrikapersad Santokhi on the sidelines of the 2nd India-CARICOM leaders' summit in Georgetown, Guyana.
Suriname's former Vice President, H.E. Ashwin Adhin, now Chairman of the National Assembly, visited India twice: privately in March 2015, and in January 2017 as the special guest at the Youth PBD. On both occasions he met Prime Minister Modi, and he also held meetings with the Ministers of AYUSH and of Road Transport and Shipping. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu met Mr. Ashwin Adhin on 09 September 2018 on the margins of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago.
Ministerial contacts
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Suriname from 05-08 May 2026. He met President Dr. Jennifer Simons and the Chairman of the National Assembly, Dr. Ashwin Adhin.
The EAM had earlier met Ambassador Albert Ramdin, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname, at the 4th India-CARICOM Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New York on 23 September 2022 and at the India-COFCOR Meeting in Guyana on 21 April 2023. Mr. Ramdin also took part virtually in the Foreign Ministers' Voice of Global South Summit 2.0 hosted by India in November 2023. The EAM met the then Foreign Minister, Yldiz Pollack Beighle, on the sidelines of the 73rd UNGA on 26 September 2018.
Former Minister of Defense Ms. Krishnakoemarie Mathoera and Minister of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation Ms. Rishma Kuldipsingh visited India for the Kumbh Global Summit in February 2025. The brief also notes Suriname's presence at the virtual Voice of the Global South Summits held on several occasions.
Parliamentary exchanges
From 28-31 August 2022, an Indian parliamentary delegation led by Shri Om Birla, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, visited Suriname. It included Smt Veena Devi (Lok Sabha), Shri Ravi Kishan (Lok Sabha) and Shri KR Suresh Reddy (Rajya Sabha). MoUs were signed during the visit in areas such as health, standards, parliamentary collaboration and cultural exchange.
A parliamentary delegation from Suriname led by H.E. Mr. Marinus Bee, Chairman of the National Assembly of Suriname, visited India in February 2024. It called on President Murmu, the former Vice-President and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla, and the EAM.
Joint Commission
In 1992, India and Suriname agreed to a Ministerial-level bilateral mechanism, under which nine Joint Commission Meetings (JCMs) have been held since 1994. Minister of State Gen (Rtd) V.K. Singh visited Paramaribo in April 2017 for the 6th JCM and held bilateral meetings with the President, Vice President and Foreign Minister of Suriname.
The 9th JCM was held in Paramaribo in May 2026, during the EAM's visit. He co-chaired it with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and Cooperation, Mr. Melvin Bouva.
International cooperation
The brief states that both countries regularly collaborate in international forums and support policies of mutual interest. Suriname supports the idea of expanding the permanent membership of the UN Security Council, and has joined the International Big Cat Alliance and the International Solar Alliance.