President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has made it clear that the proposed Corentyne River Bridge in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) remains a joint undertaking between Guyana and Suriname.
He dismissed any suggestion that either country would pursue the project independently.
“The [Corentyne] bridge is a bridge that is being discussed jointly, as a joint project, by the Government of Guyana and the Government of Suriname, and that is how it will be,” President Ali stated on Wednesday.
The president made the remarks while speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of six Puisne Judges at his Chiv Chanderpaul Drive office located in Bourda, Georgetown.
Recently, Suriname’s Public Works and Spatial Planning Minister Stephen Tsang revealed that his government would finance the Corentyne River Bridge project independently.
However, President Ali made it clear that, “there is no other official position that is before me. There is no other official request that is before me.”
The head of state underscored that any new proposal would be addressed directly and “decisively.”
“If any other request is made, then at that time I will be in a position to pronounce on it, and you can rest assured that I will pronounce decisively on it,” he stressed.
The proposed bridge will be constructed using the Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Maintain (DBFOM) model. It will be facilitated through a Public-Private Partnership arrangement, which means that the successful contractor or joint venture will be responsible for its final design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance.
President Ali was also asked to comment on the charges instituted by Suriname for the use of the Corentyne River by local operators. In March, the government lodged a formal protest with Suriname over newly introduced charges for the use of the Corentyne River, raising concerns about potential disruptions to trade and economic activity.
In response, the president said: “I have not received any complaint of any challenge from the users of the river in recent times.”