Suriname–Turkey relations

Suriname–Turkey relations are the foreign relations between Suriname and Turkey. The Turkish ambassador in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago is also accredited to Suriname. Turkey has an honorary consulate in Paramaribo, while Suriname has honorary consulates in Ankara and Istanbul.

Diplomatic Relations
Diplomatic relations between Suriname and Turkey have been improving consistently since the now infamous December murders.

On December 8, 1982 Dési Bouterse ordered a group of 13 dissidents, including a newspaper editor, two human-rights lawyers, executed, which came to be known as December murders. The subsequent actions by Bouterse, which included setting fire on the offices of the newspaper Vrije Stem caused a rupture in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Relations reached an all-time low after the telephone coup, when Bouterse dismissed the democratically-elected Nieuw Front voor Democratie en Ontwikkeling government in 1991.

Diplomatic relations were normalized with the election of Venetiaan, which re-established relations with the Dutch and Turkey, which led to significant financial assistance from the Dutch and Turkish governments.

Trade Relations

 * Trade volume between the two countries was 18.2 million USD in 2019 (Turkish exports/imports: 18.1/0.1 million USD).