PARAMARIBO, SURINAME – Guyana will formally object through diplomatic channels to the use of a map depicting the New River Triangle as part of Suriname during the opening ceremony of the Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit (SEOGS) 2026, according to Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat.
The map was displayed earlier today during a presentation by Staatsolie Chief Executive Officer Annand Jagesar at the opening of the country’s flagship energy conference in Paramaribo.
Speaking exclusively to OilNOW after the ceremony, Bharrat said Guyana’s Ambassador to Suriname, Virjanand Depoo, had already indicated that a formal protest would be lodged.
“Our ambassador was here. He saw it,” Bharrat, who sat front row at the ceremony, said. “The normal procedure is that the ambassador is going to formally object through the diplomatic channel. He has already indicated to me that he’s going to do that.”
The New River Triangle, a sparsely populated area in southeastern Guyana, is called Tigri area by Suriname.
“It’s not the first time we have seen this map being presented. And at some point in time, it has to be corrected,” he said.
The minister said he could not say whether the inclusion of the territory was deliberate.“I’m not sure if it was unintentional or this is how they usually present their map,” Bharrat said.
He noted that Guyana has not seen the same level of direct controversy surrounding the New River Triangle in recent years as it has with Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region.
“Ambassador’s already committed to sending that formal objection as soon as tomorrow,” he said.
SEOGS 2026 has brought together government officials, energy executives and investors from across the region to discuss developments in the oil, gas and energy sectors, with Guyana and Suriname both positioning themselves as major players in the global oil and gas industry.
