PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Oct 17 2015 – Venezuela has reached agreement with Suriname to provide oil to the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country in exchange for rice.
Suriname had a rice for oil deal with Guyana but in recent weeks the two countries have been at odds over Caracas claim to part of Guyana’s territory. Georgetown has taken to the international community to denounce Venezuela’s claim.
Guyana has stopped buying 50 per cent of its oil from Venezuela and has since opted to buy all from, Trinidad and Tobago.
Under the agreement signed Friday between President Nicholas Maduro and Suriname President Desi Bouterse, Suriname will continue to receive favourable rates on oil in exchange for an agreement on rice imports from the Dutch country.
The Venezuelan state-run TeleSurTV quoted Maduro as saying that PetroCaribe would be the base of their bilateral relations between the two countries.
“Petrocaribe is the starting point for advancing economic relations between the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean,” said President Maduro.
