SWEDEN’S DECISION to close its embassy in Dublin after more than 60 years should not be viewed as a snub, the country’s ambassador to Ireland has said.
Ambassador Claes Ljungdahl argued that the move could be interpreted as a sign of the “very good” bilateral relations between the two countries. Earlier this year, the Swedish government announced that it would shut six embassies, including those in Ireland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Slovakia, and Slovenia, as part of a reorienting of its foreign policy.
Sweden’s foreign minister Carl Bildt said there was scope for developing “new forms for maintaining bilateral contacts” within the EU framework. The Dublin embassy, on Harcourt Road, is due to close in August.
“It’s always a difficult decision, and one that nobody really wants to make . . . but we have to adapt and adjust to new circumstances,” Mr Ljungdahl told The Irish Times. “This should not been seen as a snub . . . The paradox is that, in a way, this is an expression of how good relations are between Sweden and Ireland.”
Several factors played into the decision, including financial considerations and the need to bolster Sweden’s diplomatic presence in certain regions where it operates extensive development programmes.
“We are faced with new challenges and demands all the time . . . the demand for us now is to operate in difficult places where relations are a little bit strained, and where we need to be much closer to listen and see what is happening,” Mr Ljungdahl said.
“[Compared to] a transparent country where the relations are good, and where things are very accessible as is the case in Ireland . . . other places are more difficult and you need to work more to get under the skin.”
Discussing Government reaction in Ireland, the ambassador said: “It is quite clear that it is not being appreciated on the Irish side, but still I think there is an acceptance and understanding. They are also facing the same problems economically.”
Mr Ljungdahl said the decision had prompted a “strong reaction” from those with business and cultural links to Sweden. The initial response from Ireland’s 2,000-strong Swedish community was also “very hard”, he added.
The Swedish foreign ministry recently advertised internally for the post of ambassador to Ireland. From August, the ambassador will be based at the ministry.
“We have a group of ambassadors in Stockholm responsible for a number of different countries. It has proved to be quite effective. Of course it is a different way of handling issues but it is more economical and the ambassadors are closer to the decision-making process,” Mr Ljungdahl said.
Coincidentally, Mr Ljungdahl, whose father also served in the Swedish foreign service, has a personal connection to the early days of bilateral relations with Ireland. “When my father joined in 1945, the first international meeting he attended was with a group of four Irish men who had come to Stockholm to request that diplomatic relations be established between Ireland and Sweden,” he said.