The Ambassador of Sweden to Venezuela (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the president of Venezuela and government of Venezuela. The Swedish envoy initially resided in Lima, Peru, with dual accreditation to Caracas, Venezuela. In 1948, a resident envoy was appointed, and the position was elevated to ambassador in 1959. The ambassador was also accredited to various neighboring countries. Following the closure of the embassy in 2000, responsibility for Venezuela was transferred to the Swedish ambassador in Bogotá, Colombia.
History.
In a report on the reorganization of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in early January 1921, the experts recommended a proposal from the Swedish "chargé d'affaires" in Mexico to extend the mission's area of responsibility to the Central American states, British Honduras, as well as Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, and San Domingo, along with the British, French, Dutch, and American possessions in the West Indies.
On 30 June 1930, Einar Modig was appointed as Sweden's first minister accredited to Venezuela, though stationed in Lima, Peru. He assumed office on 1 January 1931. Simultaneously, was appointed as legation counsellor with a specific focus on Colombia and Venezuela. Based in Bogotá, Winqvist also served as "chargé d'affaires ad interim" in Caracas and Bogotá during periods when the minister was absent.
From 1948, Sweden's ambassador to Venezuela was concurrently accredited to neighboring countries: Barbados (1976–1996), Cuba (1951–1963), Dominican Republic (1951–1979), Guyana (1976–1979, 1997–2000), Haiti (1951–1966, 1976–1979), Suriname (1978–1979, 1997–2000), and Trinidad and Tobago (1967–2000).
In January 1959, an agreement was reached between the Swedish and Venezuelan governments on the mutual elevation of the respective countries' legations to embassies. The diplomatic rank was thereafter changed to ambassador instead of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary.
The Swedish Embassy in Caracas was closed on 30 June 2000, and replaced by an honorary consulate. Since that year, Sweden's ambassador in Bogotá has also been accredited to Caracas.