๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ. ๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ข, ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ-๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐, ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฆ๐. ๐๐จ๐ง. ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐จ๐ค๐ก๐ข
๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ง
It is with a heavy heart that I have received the news of the passing of Hon. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, former President of the Republic of Suriname. A voice of wisdom has fallen silent. A friend has left us.
On behalf of the Government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and on my own behalf, I offer our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Suriname, and to the family of the late former President.
Former President Santokhi was a brother forged not by blood but by conviction, not by birth but by the shared calling of service. During his tenure as President, we walked a path togetherโ leaders who understood that the destiny of our nations is woven from the same cloth.
We were brothers in regionalism, standing shoulder to shoulder in the councils of CARICOM, labouring in the vineyards of unity when the harvest seemed distant and the work was hard. We were friends in the advancement of our shared global interests, raising our voices together on matters of principle. And in the quiet spaces between formal engagements, we were simply two men who had come to trust one another and to understand one another.
Under his steady guidance, the relationship between Guyana and Suriname blossomed. He understood, as I do, that the river which divides us also connects us, that our histories are intertwined, and that the prosperity of one cannot be separated from the prosperity of the other.
The region has lost a fine statesman, one who carried the mantle of leadership with grace and humility. Guyana has lost a friend, one who gave of himself freely and without pretence. I have lost a friend,someone whose presence in this world made the burdens of leadership lighter and the triumphs sweeter.
To the Government and people of Suriname, I say that your former President was a man of quiet strength . He served you with dedication and conviction. May his memory be a blessing that sustains you in the days ahead.
To his family, I extend my most heartfelt condolences. May you find solace in the legacy he leaves behind. And may the love that surrounded him in life be a comfort to you in this hour of loss.
The sun sets now on a life well lived. But for those of us who were privileged to walk alongside him, the light of his example, his friendship, and his brotherhood will not fade. It will remain, a quiet glow in the memory, a gentle warmth in the heart.
May he rest in eternal peace.
