but poised for an even brighter future. In a reflective farewell piece titled “A Common Past, a Shared Future,” Faucher combines personal history with diplomatic assessment, underscoring the depth and momentum of bilateral ties.

 Faucher describes the past three years as a period of renewal following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, Suriname and the United States worked deliberately to strengthen cooperation and reposition their partnership for the future. Central to that effort, he notes, is Suriname’s emergence as an energy producer—an historic development that both countries have begun preparing for together.

 The ambassador highlights concrete outcomes of this renewed engagement, including the arrival of the largest US business delegations ever to visit Suriname. Alongside economic cooperation, academic and professional exchanges were expanded, reinforcing institutional connections that Faucher views as essential for long-term development.

 Beyond policy achievements, Faucher’s farewell is deeply personal. His connection to Suriname dates back to 1986, with a return in 2002, giving him a rare long-term perspective on the country’s evolution. From the instability of the late 1980s to today’s more confident and outward-looking Suriname, the transformation, he writes, has been striking.

 During his final tour as ambassador, Faucher visited every district, including remote parts of Sipaliwini. Had encounters with Indigenous leaders, spent time in the interior,visited culturally and historically significant sites deepening his appreciation for Suriname’s natural beauty, resilience and cultural richness.

 A cornerstone of his ambassadorship was bringing shared history into public view. Among the milestones he cites are the unveiling of the first American Battle Monuments Commission memorial in South America, recognition of historic NASA rocket launches in Coronie, and the publication of Common Past, Shared Future, a collection of fifty shared US–Suriname stories. Most recently, a monument in Commewijne commemorating 35 US servicemembers and diplomats who died in the 1943 Matapica plane crash reinforced, he says, a lasting commitment to remembrance.

 Faucher leaves Suriname confident in the partnership’s foundations. He characterizes the US –Suriname relationship as practical, respectful, and rooted in mutual trust. As the oldest republic in North America and the youngest in South America, he notes, both countries share core beliefs in sovereignty and opportunity.

 While his diplomatic role ends, Faucher insists his connection to Suriname does not. He departs not with finality, but with affection and optimism. “This is not a goodbye”, he writes, expressing confidence that the strongest chapters in US–Suriname relations are still to come.