Guyana declines invite to Suriname oil conference because of map

The Government of Guyana has refused an invitation to attend an oil and gas conference this June in Suriname over the country’s inclusion of the New River Triangle in its map.

Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud says several documents were sent to Guyana leading up to the conference, including a map of Suriname depicting the New River Triangle as Surinamese territory. The New River Triangle is recognized internationally as part of Guyana’s territory.

Persaud said he believed the action by Paramaribo questions Guyana’s territorial integrity and is disrespectful. In response, he explained, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has