Paramaribo, Oct. 17 (teleSUR-RHC) Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his counterpart in Surinam, Desi Bouterse, agreed on Friday that Petrocaribe will be the base of their bilateral relations.  

Petrocaribe is an alliance established by Venezuela in 2005 to sell oil at discounted rates to its Caribbean allies.

“Petrocaribe is the starting point for advancing economic relations between the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean,” said President Maduro. 

According to the agreement signed between Maduro and President Bouterse, Surinam will continue to receive favorable oil rates in exchange for an agreement on rice imports from Surinam.

“In the coming weeks a Surinamese commission will travel to Caracas to finalize the agreement,” said Maduro, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez.