HGP Nightly News – President Dr. Irfaan Ali has described the Corentyne River as a “passage of unity” between Guyana and Suriname, using the words to reflect on the vision of former Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi during remarks at his funeral. But even as the Guyanese Head of State paid tribute to Santokhi’s legacy of cooperation, the comments came against the backdrop of unresolved tensions over the very waterway he said should unite the two neighbouring countries.
Speaking at the funeral, President Ali said Santokhi saw the Corentyne River “not as a line between us but as a vein connecting two hearts, a passage of unity, not a border for discord.” In that tribute, Ali pointed to what he described as Santokhi’s commitment to strengthening ties between Guyana and Suriname, including efforts to deepen bilateral relations, expand economic cooperation, and encourage closer collaboration between the private sectors of both countries. His remarks framed the late former Surinamese leader as someone who viewed cross-border relations not through conflict, but through partnership and shared opportunity.
Yet the tribute also lands at a time when longstanding issues surrounding the Corentyne River remain far from settled. Among them is the still-unresolved matter of a 2021 arrangement discussed during Santokhi’s state visit to Guyana, which had been expected to pave the way for fishing licences for Guyanese fishermen. That agreement was never implemented, and its failure has remained a source of frustration, particularly as concerns continue to grow over access and fairness in the use of the river.
More recently, the issue has been further complicated by Suriname’s imposition of fees for the use of the Corentyne River, a move that Guyana has formally protested. That development has added fresh strain to the bilateral relationship and raised new questions about how the two countries will manage trade, access and economic activity along a waterway that has long been both a shared resource and a point of contention. The tension highlights the difficult balance between the public language of partnership and the practical disputes that continue to affect operators and communities.
Even so, President Ali used the funeral tribute to reaffirm a broader vision of cooperation, one rooted in the belief that the relationship between Guyana and Suriname must continue to move forward. But while he invoked Santokhi’s view of the Corentyne as a symbol of unity, the unresolved issues tied to fishing rights, river access, regulation and fair use remain pressing matters that still require concrete answers. For now, the river stands as both a symbol of what the relationship could be and a reminder of the disputes that continue to test it.
