Brazil’s Bolsonaro to visit Suriname and Guyana for talks on oil cooperation

(This Jan. 17 story has been refiled to correct typographical error in “Guyana” in headline and paragraphs 1-3)

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will visit Suriname and Guyana on Thursday and Friday for talks on economic cooperation following recent discoveries of oil and gas by Brazil’s two neighbors, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

Bolsonaro and the presidents of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, and Guyana, Irfaan Ali, will hold a working lunch in the Surinamese capital Paramaribo on Thursday to discuss “projects of common interest,” a ministry statement said.

It said the three governments were resuming a strategic dialogue at a time of “prospects for greater economic and social development in Suriname and Guyana, driven by recent discoveries of oil and gas.”

Representatives of Brazil’s state-controlled oil company Petrobras are expected to accompany Bolsonaro for talks on cooperation in oil and gas and possible investments.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Karishma Singh)