Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press briefing with Surinamese President Santokhi in Parimaribo, Suriname.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, President of the Republic of Suriname, His Excellency Chandrika Prasad
00:05Santokki, His Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United States of America, Mr.
00:10Marco Rubio, welcome everybody, dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen of the press, all a warm
00:16welcome to this press moment in the context of the visit of the Secretary of State of
00:20America, President Santokki, I give you the floor.
00:25Thank you Madam, good afternoon to all of you, may I once again extend my warm welcome
00:35to the Secretary of State, His Excellency Marco Rubio and his delegation and I wish
00:45to acknowledge the company media from the USA and also the Surinamese and other international
00:54media.
00:55Thank you for being here for this opportunity.
01:00Ladies and gentlemen, I have warmly welcomed the Secretary of State of the United States
01:06of America, Marco Rubio, and his delegation to the Republic of Suriname.
01:13And I may add that this is his first visit to the Caribbean, specifically Jamaica, Guyana,
01:23Suriname, and within a very short time after taking office.
01:31Secretary of State Rubio, your visit provides a good momentum and opportunity on the way
01:40forward for our bilateral relations.
01:45Suriname has a long-standing and strategic partnership with the United States of America.
01:54During our meeting, we have discussed opportunities for strengthening and expanding our bilateral
02:02relations and cooperation and furtherance of our partnership regionally.
02:10In the interest of further expanding the relationship mainly in the field of trade
02:17and investment, we will work together to attract American investors to Suriname.
02:27After all, cooperation with America and the American business dates back to the beginning
02:35of the 19th century, and we currently have significant investment from the American
02:42companies, particularly in the oil and gas industry, but also in the gold sector.
02:49And I look forward to the participation of the U.S. delegation in the upcoming edition
02:55of the Surinamese Energy Oil and Gas Summit and Exhibition, SEOX, which will be held in
03:00Paramaribo in June of this year.
03:05The importance of energy security in the Caribbean region was also addressed and discussed with
03:12Suriname, but also with Guyana, which are playing a crucial role.
03:18Both countries will become important partners for the Caribbean and the Western Hemisphere.
03:25My thanks to Minister Rubio for including my country, Suriname, in his first visit to
03:34the Caribbean, and for the support he has promised Suriname regarding the energy security
03:41and further intensifying the relationship, which will be in benefit of both our countries
03:47and both our people.
03:49MR.
03:50RUBIO Thank you, Mr. President.
03:51First of all, thank you for the very warm greeting.
03:54And I just began my 10th week as the Secretary of State, so I'm happy to be able to make
04:01this visit so quickly.
04:03I want to extend my gratitude for the invitation, for the hospitality, and for the chance to
04:08interact with you.
04:09You're such a close partner.
04:10The country is, and you in particular, have been for the United States, and that's a partnership
04:14we want to build on.
04:15Let me begin by extending my congratulations to your Minister of Foreign Affairs, who will
04:19also be our Secretary General at the Organization of American States.
04:24It's an important organization that we want to see take on new vibrancy and new energy,
04:29and we look forward to working with you, and something that the country should be very
04:31proud of.
04:32I think it signals the growing importance, relevance, the growing presence that as a
04:39nation you have on the regional stage and beyond.
04:43And so I wanted to extend that congratulations.
04:46I also want to acknowledge that the foreign policy of the United States, I think over
04:51the last 20 years, needs revision.
04:54It has largely ignored opportunities when we have found close partners.
04:58We have often, in our foreign policy, neglected those opportunities, and we spent a lot of
05:02time on problems instead, and on countries and leaders that give us a hard time.
05:07We're going to change that.
05:08We want to change that.
05:09President Trump wants to change that.
05:11President Trump wants to make it clear that if you are a friend, an ally, a partner of
05:14the United States, there are benefits for your country and for your people in doing
05:18so, and we want to enter it in terms of partnership.
05:21That's the way we view it.
05:22And so we wanted to take a particular interest in visiting and reaffirming our ties to both
05:27leaders and countries who have been strong partners, and you have been a very strong
05:30partner of the United States.
05:32We recognize the difficulties you faced not so long ago when you came into office and
05:38had to take on a large debt, an economy that was underperforming, and these things take
05:43a little bit of time, but now you've reached and are reaching a point of stability, and
05:47now the exciting moment is ahead.
05:49Now is the opportunity to build upon that, build upon the pillars of successful nation
05:54states, which is security and stability, so then you can reach prosperity.
06:00And that's the path you're on, and I know it's a difficult path.
06:02I know it's a path that requires a little bit of patience, but it's an important path,
06:06and the path you've put your country on and that we want to help you sustain and be on
06:10for the years to come, because you have an opportunity to do something very special here.
06:14You really do.
06:15You have, in most countries, when they experience growth in a mineral sector, in the energy
06:21sector, they often don't plan for it.
06:23They plan for generating the revenue, but they don't plan how that revenue is going
06:26to benefit the people.
06:28And you have taken the time, and your government has taken the time and put in the time to
06:32construct a plan so that these things aren't just going to generate revenue.
06:35They're going to generate prosperity.
06:38They're going to generate opportunity.
06:40That is the role of government.
06:41That is the role of forward thinking.
06:42That is the role of planning for the future, and you're doing that, and you're doing it
06:45in a way that, if done correctly and sustained, if you stay on this path, you're going to
06:50have a country that's going to transform in this generation, and it's going to mean something
06:55extraordinary for future generations, and we just want to be a partner.
06:59We discussed in our private meeting that, unfortunately, we are witnessing in the region
07:03how oftentimes insecurity, instability, and poverty becomes contagious.
07:08It spreads, and it impacts other countries, but the reverse is true as well.
07:12Stability, security, and prosperity can also become contagious, and you have an opportunity
07:18not simply to change the destiny of the people of your country, but in other ways, in direct
07:22ways, really help impact the security, stability, and prosperity of the region, and we just
07:27want to be helpful.
07:28We believe it is in our national interest to have a Caribbean region that is safe and
07:33stable and prosperous, and you're at the vanguard of that in what you are doing, and so we are
07:37just here to encourage you to continue to do that, because we are going to do everything
07:40we can to ensure that American companies and American firms and investors who are looking
07:46for opportunities understand there's real opportunities here, with the work you've put
07:50in to take on corruption, to take on, to establish strong rule of law and stability, so companies
07:56know if we invest in a sector, it's going to generate revenue, jobs, and opportunity
08:00for the people of Suriname, but we also know that 5, 10, 15 years from now, we're going
08:05to be safe in our investment, because we have a country that has a strong democracy,
08:09has a stable rule of law, and has a welcoming leaders who understand its importance for
08:13the people and for the future, and that's what we commit to doing, for looking to opportunities
08:17to build on all this.
08:18We've spoken about some of the mechanics, preventing drug trafficking organizations
08:23from ever getting a foothold here, preventing these transnational crime gangs from ever
08:28getting a foothold here.
08:29We want to be your partner in stopping that from ever happening, so you never, ever, now
08:33or in the future, face the problems that some other countries are facing, and we've
08:37also talked about responsible ways, because you don't just want to, and you have the right
08:41vision for this, you don't simply just want to access the natural resources of a country,
08:45you want to do it in a way that's responsible, that protects the natural beauty of the land,
08:51and preserves it so that future generations can enjoy it as well, and you have a unique
08:55and golden opportunity to do it, we're excited by your vision for it, we encourage the people
09:00of the country to sustain that vision, and we look forward to being your partner.
09:03We thank you for everything we've done together already, and what hopefully we'll be able
09:07to continue to do in the years to come, certainly as long as I'm in this role.
09:12So I thank you for this very warm welcome, and I'm excited about the opportunity, and
09:17my understanding, Mr. Ambassador, I am only the fourth Secretary of State to visit, but
09:22how many have visited twice?
09:25All right, so we have a new, we've just set a new goal, and hopefully we can come back
09:31again and reaffirm that, I look forward to doing that.
09:40Thank you very much, Your Excellencies, I give now the floor to Ivan Cairo from Dvaretate.
09:48Good afternoon, thank you for this opportunity.
09:51Mr. Rubio, you just brushed on the topic of security.
09:57What can Suriname expect in regards to drug trafficking, combating drug trafficking?
10:06Because for years there has been discussions that the EA will put up their office again
10:12in Suriname.
10:13Is this discussed?
10:15And also in regards to security, there was an agreement between Suriname and the United
10:20States, the shipwreck agreement, will that be revitalized?
10:26The police cooperation with the police of Las Vegas, how is that in your policies?
10:36And the cooperation between the National Army of Suriname and the South Dakota military
10:41enforcement, how will that come into play in the next coming years?
10:48Maybe the President could also chime in to that, thank you.
10:51Well, on the first, I can't speak for the South Dakota National Guard, but I can tell
10:55you it's very cold in South Dakota, so I think they probably like coming here and being helpful.
11:00How much is the snow here?
11:01Well, we can import.
11:02Well, they're trying to get away from the snow.
11:07But you mentioned the DA office, that's something we're going to take back as well.
11:10But here's what we want to do.
11:12Let me explain.
11:13The goal, we're having this debate in the United States about foreign aid, and this
11:17is one of the reasons why I wanted to come to the Caribbean and meet with all these countries.
11:21For too long, our foreign aid has been driven by what we think you need.
11:24We tell you, okay, these are the five things we're going to do for you.
11:27Well, those aren't the five things you want.
11:28We're changing that.
11:30We want to make sure that we're providing the assistance that the countries need.
11:33We want to turn this power back over to our embassies under the State Department so we're
11:37providing the assistance you need.
11:38Let me tell you the second.
11:39The best foreign aid programs are the ones that come to an end because they've achieved
11:42their purpose.
11:43The purpose of foreign aid is not for the United States to be here for 25 years providing
11:47law enforcement.
11:48The purpose of the United States is to help you build the capacity so you will be able
11:52to do it sustainably forever.
11:54Our job is to help you become self-sustained in this regard, and not only self-sustaining,
11:59but the goal is ultimately to help you be able to do this so well that you're now teaching
12:03other countries how to do it.
12:04You now become the country that helps others do it as well.
12:07And we think we can help with technology, with personnel, with best practices.
12:11We've talked about some of this already.
12:12We want to continue to build on that.
12:14Because what you don't want to see for a country is a place where drug trafficking organizations
12:19and gangs say, that's a place where we can run guns.
12:22That's a place where we can move drugs because they don't have the resources available to
12:27stop us.
12:28Then you become a magnet for that sort of activity.
12:30And nothing will set you back on economic growth and prosperity faster than that.
12:34When these vicious gangs get into a country, they start shooting each other and anyone
12:37who's standing in between.
12:39And it destabilizes society.
12:41You never want to reach that point, and we want to help you prevent that.
12:43We want, when these drug dealers look at the world, we want them to say, I don't want to
12:47go through Suriname because their police departments and their law enforcement is so strong they'll
12:51catch us.
12:52Let's go somewhere else or let's go into another line of work.
12:56And that's what we want to see.
12:57So we are open to any programs we can do to build the capacity, which is already extended.
13:03This partnership is very close.
13:04I mean, we cooperate on all of this already.
13:06We just want to keep building on it so that you can build a capacity where not only do
13:10you do it for yourself, but you're maybe helping other countries in the future do it because
13:14you've become so good at it.
13:15That's what we want to focus on.
13:16That's what we want to do.
13:18Yes, thank you, Secretary.
13:23Just to add some more information, yes, the topic of having the DEA office in Suriname
13:31again was discussed, and that will be further considered by the U.S. government.
13:38The topic on the security agreement, as you mentioned, the shiprider agreement, we do
13:44have a new agreement which has been approved already by the government, and that agreement
13:49has been submitted to the parliament, and we are waiting for the approval.
13:54But after the approval, that agreement will be a very strong mechanism to get more support
14:01from the U.S. government in terms of technical support, but also material support in the
14:07interdiction program, particularly those criminal organizations who are making use of our territory
14:15by illicit dropping of illicit stop, but also illicit lending, with the new mechanism and
14:23with the technical assistance of the U.S. agencies, will bring an end to this threat,
14:30which is very dangerous for our nation, but also the neighboring countries.
14:37Thank you very much, Your Excellencies, and now it's time for Ed Wong from the New York Times.
14:43Hi, thank you, Mr. President, Mr. Secretary, for taking questions from us.
14:47Mr. Secretary, first to you, you've traveled throughout the region, as you know, China
14:53has a growing presence throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
14:57You carried out an effort to limit a Hong Kong company's presence in the Panama Canal,
15:02and you talked with some reservations about Chinese projects yesterday in Jamaica.
15:06I was wondering, is it the aim of the Trump administration to try and have the two superpowers
15:14reach an accommodation or an understanding where each power limits their military, diplomatic
15:20and economic presence in the backyards of the other powers, meaning spheres of influence
15:26for each power?
15:27And then related to China, in 2019, you supported legislation to have the U.S. government support
15:33the protesters in Hong Kong, the pro-democracy protesters, and mostly the protests were peaceful,
15:39but also occasionally they disrupted public life.
15:41And so based on your rationale for deporting campus protesters in the U.S., would you now
15:46support the Chinese Communist Party or Hong Kong authorities deporting foreigners who
15:51took part in those protests in 2019?
15:52Yeah, the first question is silly, because the people that we're getting rid of in our
15:55country are vandalizing, they're not protesters, they're taking over college campuses, they're
15:59harassing fellow students.
16:01We let them in our country to study.
16:03We gave them a visa because they said, I want to go to your university, I want to get a
16:06degree.
16:07They didn't say, I want to go to university, and I want to vandalize your library, and
16:10I want to chase Jewish students down the street, and I want to wear a mask over my face like
16:14if it's Halloween and terrorize people.
16:16We didn't give them a visa to do any of that.
16:18So we don't want those people in our country.
16:20They're not demonstrating for, they're going beyond demonstration.
16:26They are creating a ruckus, they are creating riots, basically, on campus, and it's making,
16:32it's unfair for students.
16:33Some of these schools are some of the most expensive schools we have in America.
16:36People pay a lot of money to go to these schools, they borrow money to go to these schools,
16:38and you can't even go to class because some lunatic who's covering their face is running
16:43through campus, spray painting things, harassing people, and they're in my country as a guest.
16:47We want them out.
16:48Every one of them, I find, we're going to kick them out.
16:51On your second, on your first question, I don't, we don't talk about spheres of influence.
16:54The United States is an Indo-Pacific nation.
16:56We have relationships with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines.
16:59We're going to continue those relationships.
17:01My problem with China is twofold.
17:03The first is, we haven't, in many cases, we don't have American companies that have shown
17:07an interest in investing in a country, so they don't show up.
17:10You leave them with no option.
17:11My second problem is, in a lot of these countries, the Chinese companies go and they do a terrible
17:15job.
17:16Not a bad job, a terrible job.
17:17I just came from Guyana, where we had to drive on a road the Chinese built.
17:21Were you, you were on the trip with us?
17:22Yeah.
17:23Did you have to go on this road?
17:24Yeah.
17:25It was bumpy.
17:26We almost all had concussions because the plane, the road was so bad.
17:30It was terrible.
17:31They paid these people to build this road, and then they bring their workers.
17:34They bring their workers.
17:35They don't hire you.
17:36They bring their workers in to do all the work, and then, or they want you to borrow
17:39a bunch of money, and then they hold it over your head.
17:41So what I want is for countries to have an alternative to that.
17:45What we want is for countries to have an alternative to that.
17:48If you're going to build a road, I want you to have a real road.
17:51They were better off with a dirt road than the road we were just on.
17:53And it's not the fault of the current administration.
17:56In Guyana, that was a road that was built before, but they did a terrible job.
17:59If you did that job in America, someone would sue you for a lot of money.
18:02Okay?
18:03It was a bad road.
18:04So we want to be able to ensure that we are providing alternatives to what we think is
18:09bad work by the Chinese that never finishes on time, is always over budget, and brings
18:14their own workers, don't even hire the locals.
18:17And one more point I would make in this regard, there are certain sectors, okay, when it comes
18:21to telecommunications and so forth, where I'm just honest with people.
18:25If you're going to have a telecommunications system that is controlled by Chinese companies,
18:29you're going to have trouble having American investors come in, because they don't want
18:32all their stuff stolen.
18:33They don't want all their stuff yanked out by some backdoor that the Chinese have installed
18:37in their telecommunications system.
18:39Again, we've had to face that too in America, because Huawei was deploying in America as
18:43well.
18:44So we have to have an alternative, though.
18:45There has to be somebody else that comes along and says, we can do it too, and we won't spy
18:48on you when we do it.
18:50So our goal is twofold.
18:51Create these options, but not just options that don't, that are to China.
18:56Options to work that involves bad workmanship, over budget, with debt attached, and using
19:02their own workers instead of yours.
19:04That's the alternative we want to provide, and in any endeavor we can.
19:10Mr. President, do you have any comments on cooperation with China in this hemisphere?
19:14Well, I think the position which has been addressed by Secretary of State Rubio is quite
19:21clear, what the position of the United States of America is.
19:25Our position as a country is that we are developing our countries with international cooperation,
19:33with a lot of countries, more than 170 countries we are cooperating.
19:39All these corporations are based on pragmatism, based on the needs and the national interests
19:45of the countries.
19:47So in relation to China, what we are doing as a country is that we do have several areas
19:55of development.
19:56We are looking for investors, we are inviting investors.
20:00And just what the minister has said, not all the countries are showing up, and there are
20:06sometimes more countries which are showing up for their interests and their projects.
20:12So we need to keep that aspect also into consideration.
20:18My invitation to the minister was, we need the private sector of the United States.
20:24A lot of those projects which are implemented in Suriname by Chinese companies, those projects
20:32were granted through international procedures.
20:38And through international bidding procedures, our local companies, our local content are
20:44excluded.
20:46And most of these projects were financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, the World
20:52Bank.
20:53And our view is that as soon as you have more opportunities for the Surinamese companies,
21:03more and more Surinamese companies will be involved.
21:05And on the other side, we hope that more United States companies will offer themselves, will
21:12come to Suriname, will offer them all the incentives.
21:15And I think Suriname is a very close country to the United States of America.
21:21They don't have to look for opportunities in the Far East or in Africa.
21:25Here we are.
21:26Here we have the oil and gas, and we are very happy to welcome the Apache AP.
21:32We are very happy to welcome Halliburton.
21:35We are very happy to welcome Schlumberger, and we see more and more U.S. companies coming
21:40to Suriname to invest, and they are very welcome.
21:43Thank you very much, Your Excellencies.
21:44We have come to an end to this press moment.
21:47We thank you for being here.
21:48Thank you very much.
21:50And we hope to see you next time.
21:51Bye.