Visit by Jennifer Geerlings-Simons will focus on security, energy and infrastructure; Amazon integration will be a priority at the meeting
The president (PT) receives this Thursday (May 28, 2026), at Palácio do Planalto, the president of Suriname, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (NDP, left). The meeting should result in the signing of up to 12 bilateral acts and the consolidation of an agenda focused on Amazonian integration, the fight against organized crime and the expansion of infrastructure between the 2 countries.
The visit will have 4 central axes: oil, connectivity and infrastructure, social programs and agribusiness. The Brazilian government also wants to advance in the Amazon region.
Planalto treats Suriname as a strategic partner in the North region. The country borders Pará and Amapá and is part of the Amazon, an area considered a priority by the Lula government in terms of security and regional integration.
Within this, there are 3 central fronts that appear as a priority for the Lula government:
- combating transnational organized crime in the Amazon;
- logistical integration from the North of Brazil to the Caribbean through the “Guiana route”;
- energy cooperation linked to oil discovered in Suriname.
Before the presidential meeting, ministers from the 2 countries held preparatory meetings in Brasília. The Surinamese delegation arrived in Brazil accompanied by 5 ministers, including members from the areas of defense, agriculture, energy, tourism and communications.
The government’s strategy was to anticipate technical negotiations so that the visit could already produce concrete results, according to members of the Itamaraty.
The security agenda gained weight in the preparation of the visit. The Lula government assesses that organized crime already operates in a regionalized manner in the Amazon, and, therefore, wants to expand joint intelligence and inspection mechanisms.
Cooperation must involve the Federal Police, defense forces and Amazon monitoring centers, including actions against drug trafficking, illegal mining and the circulation of transnational criminal organizations.
Members of the Suriname delegation visited Brazilian aerial surveillance and monitoring structures in the Amazon before the meeting with Lula.
AGREEMENTS WITH SURINAME
Among the expected agreements are memoranda on:
- cybersecurity;
- police cooperation;
- military operations on the border;
- combating human trafficking;
- public health;
- fighting forest fires;
- and social policies.
Related agreements must also be signed:
- dam safety;
- to maritime transport;
- and the expansion of commercial relations.
Integration and works
Logistics integration will also be a priority. The Brazilian government wants to accelerate the so-called “Guiana route”, a land corridor that aims to connect the North of Brazil to the Caribbean through Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
The government’s assessment is that the route can facilitate Brazilian exports to the Caribbean and reduce historical trade bottlenecks in the region.
The project depends on the completion of highways and bridges between neighboring countries. Government members claim that the Brazilian part of the infrastructure is already more advanced.
Air connectivity was also on the agenda. Authorities from both countries are discussing increasing flight frequencies between Paramaribo and Belém and encouraging new regional connections.
Oil and business
In the energy area, Petrobras was invited to participate in business agendas. Suriname is experiencing expectations of economic growth after the discovery of reserves estimated at between 4 billion and 6 billion barrels of oil.
The Brazilian government sees potential for cooperation in offshore exploration, accident prevention and development of the energy chain.
Social programs and the Amazon
Jennifer Simons also asked to learn about Brazilian social programs. The president will visit a Cras (Social Assistance Reference Center) and a Minha Casa, Minha Vida project in Brasília.
The agenda also includes a visit to Embrapa Cerrados, where you will learn about tropical agriculture and genetic improvement projects.
In the area of tourism, Brazil and Suriname began negotiations for a cooperation memorandum focused on ecotourism, financing the sector and increasing air connectivity.
Data from the Ministry of Tourism show a 30.6% increase in the arrival of tourists from Suriname to Brazil between January and April 2026.
The Brazilian government also took advantage of the official aircraft’s departure to Suriname to send vaccines and medicines to the neighboring country as part of regional humanitarian cooperation.
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