List of ambassadors of Sweden to Belarus

Ambassador of
Sweden to Belarus
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent
Hannes Tordengren
as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
since January 2024
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Swedish Embassy, Minsk
StyleHis or Her Excellency (formal)
Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
SeatMinsk, Belarus
AppointerGovernment of Sweden
Term lengthNo fixed term
Inaugural holderÖrjan Berner
Formation1992
WebsiteSwedish Embassy, Minsk

The Ambassador of Sweden to Belarus (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Belarus) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the president of Belarus and government of Belarus.

History

Sweden was among the first countries to recognize the independence of the Republic of Belarus on 19 December 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were formally established on 14 January 1992, when Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margaretha af Ugglas, visited Belarus and signed the agreement.[1]

In 2000, Sweden opened an honorary consulate in Minsk. In November 2003, Sweden expanded its presence by opening an embassy office, which was part of the Embassy of Sweden in Moscow. The embassy office was operated by a single Swedish diplomat. In December 2007, the Swedish government decided to elevate the embassy office to a full embassy, a transition that was officially completed in 2008. The Embassy was temporarily closed from August 2012 to July 2013 and reopened in 2014.[2]

List of representatives

Name Period Title Notes Ref
Örjan Berner 1992–1994 Ambassador Resident in Moscow. [3]
Sven Hirdman 1994–2004 Ambassador Resident in Moscow. [4]
Johan Molander 2004–2008 Ambassador Resident in Moscow. [5]
Stefan Eriksson 2008 – 3 August 2012 Ambassador Declared persona non grata.[a] [7][6]
Embassy was closed between August 2012 and July 2013[2]
Martin Åberg July 2013 – April 2015 Chargé d'affaires ad interim [8][9]
Martin Åberg April 2015 – 2017 Ambassador [9]
Christina Johannesson 1 September 2017 – 2022 Ambassador [10]
Eva Sundquist September 2022 – January 2024 Chargé d'affaires [11][12]
Hannes Tordengren January 2024 – present Chargé d'affaires ad interim [13][14]

Footnotes

  1. ^ The announcement that Stefan Eriksson was declared persona non grata came a month after the Teddybear Airdrop Minsk incident, during which the Swedish PR agency Studio Total dropped teddy bears carrying regime-critical messages over Belarus. However, this was reportedly "not at all" mentioned in connection with the decision to expel the ambassador, according to Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Bilateral dialogue". Embassy of Belarus, Stockholm. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b "About us". Embassy of Sweden, Minsk. 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  3. ^ Almqvist, Gerd, ed. (1994). Sveriges statskalender 1994 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. pp. 189, 196. ISBN 9138129485. SELIBR 3682773.
  4. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2004). Sveriges statskalender 2004 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. pp. 185, 192. ISBN 91-38-32120-3. SELIBR 89506762.
  5. ^ Henriksson, Maria, ed. (2008). Sveriges statskalender 2008 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. pp. 194, 202. ISBN 978-91-38-32405-9. SELIBR 10900526.
  6. ^ a b Roström Andersson, Sofia (3 August 2012). "Vitryssland utvisar ambassadör" [Belarus expels ambassador]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). TT. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  7. ^ Sveriges statskalender 2010 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. 2010. p. 202. ISBN 978-91-38-32520-9. SELIBR 11846164.
  8. ^ "Swedish chargé d'affaires a.i. arrives in Minsk". Charter 97. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Ny ambassadör i Vitryssland" [New ambassador to Belarus] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Ny ambassadör i Vitryssland" [New ambassador to Belarus] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Eva Sundquist ny chargé d'affaires i Belarus" [Eva Sundquist new chargé d'affaires in Belarus] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Minsk recalls ambassador to Sweden – reports". Pozirk. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  13. ^ "DIPLOMATIC HANDBOOK" (PDF) (in Belarusian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. November 2024. p. 23. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Hannes Tordengren". LinkedIn. Retrieved 15 January 2025.