List of ambassadors of Sweden to Chile

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Ambassador of
Sweden to Chile
Coat of arms of Sweden.svg
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent
Sofia Karlberg
since 2025
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Swedish Embassy, Santiago
Style His or Her Excellency (formal)
Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports to Minister for Foreign Affairs
Residence Calle Via Celeste 9640, Vitacura [1]
Seat Santiago, Chile
Appointer Government of Sweden
Term length No fixed term
Inaugural holderCarl Hultgren
Formation1 April 1918
Website Swedish Embassy, Santiago

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

Contents

History

The Swedish foreign minister, in a 14 January 1918 report to the King in Council regarding the 1919 national budget, reviewed Sweden's trade and maritime relations with South America. Concerning Chile, he noted that Sweden was represented only by an honorary consul in Valparaíso, who was also head of a large British firm. It was considered desirable to have a paid Swedish representative in Chile. This could be achieved without creating a separate consular or chargé d'affaires post by accrediting Sweden's diplomatic representative in Buenos Aires also to the Chilean Republic. Thanks to the new railway over the Andes, the distance between Buenos Aires and Santiago was small enough for the head of mission to visit Chile regularly. During his absence, a commercial attaché serving both countries could handle ongoing duties, and a consular officer could be added later if needed. [2] Sweden's first minister accredited in Chile was Carl Hultgren  [ sv ], who was appointed as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Argentine and Chilean republics, with residence in Buenos Aires, starting on 1 April 1918. [3]

In 1929 the Swedish Parliament decided to establish a salaried vice-consulate in Valparaíso. On 1 July 1933 the vice-consulate was moved to Chile's capital, Santiago. When the then–vice-consul Torsten Vinell  [ sv ] went on an extended approved leave at the beginning of 1934, the legation counsellor Axel Paulin  [ sv ] who worked at the mission in Buenos Aires—and who had also been registered with the Chilean government as a member of the mission in Santiago—was appointed to serve as substitute. At the same time, he was notified to the Chilean government as chargé d’affaires ad interim. This was considered natural since his regular post was diplomatic, and the arrangement entailed no additional costs for the state. When the vice-consul position later became vacant, the same diplomat was appointed on 1 July 1934 to temporarily manage that post as well. [4]

In 1949, Sweden appointed its first resident minister in Santiago, Envoy Folke Wennerberg  [ sv ]. He presented his credentials to Chilean President Gabriel González Videla on 7 April. [5]

In November 1956, an agreement was reached between the Swedish and Chilean 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. [6]

Following the military coup in Chile on 11 September 1973, Sweden's ambassador, Harald Edelstam, was declared persona non grata in December of the same year for helping over 1,200 Chileans, hundreds of Cuban diplomats and civilians, and around 50 Uruguayan refugees escape persecution under dictator Augusto Pinochet. [7] To signal its disapproval, Sweden did not appoint a new ambassador. Carl-Johan Groth  [ sv ] took over as head of mission with the rank of chargé d'affaires . [8] No new Swedish ambassador was appointed in Santiago for the next 17 years while the Government Junta ruled Chile.

In 1990, Sweden once again had a Swedish ambassador in Chile for the first time since the military coup of 1973. On 20 April, Sweden's then chargé d'affaires, Staffan Wrigstad  [ sv ], presented his credentials to Chile's new president, Patricio Aylwin. According to Foreign Minister Sten Andersson, Sweden sought to accredit a new ambassador in Santiago as quickly as possible following the change of power, as a way to further demonstrate its strong support for Chile's democratic government. [9]

List of representatives

NamePeriodTitleNotesRef
Carl Hultgren1 April 1918 – 1925EnvoyResident in Buenos Aires. [3] [10]
Einar Ekstrand1925–1931EnvoyResident in Buenos Aires. [11]
Christian Günther 23 January 1931 – 1933EnvoyResident in Buenos Aires. [12]
Einar Modig 31 December 1934 – 1939EnvoyResident in Buenos Aires. [13]
Axel Paulin1934–1942Chargé d'affaires ad interim [a] [14] [15]
Folke Wennerberg1942–1949Chargé d'affaires [16]
Folke Wennerberg1949–1952Envoy [16]
Ulf Barck-Holst1952–1953Envoy [17]
Harry Bagge1954 – November 1956EnvoyAccredited to La Paz (from 1956). [18] [6]
Harry BaggeNovember 1957 – 1962AmbassadorAccredited to La Paz. [6] [18]
Gustaf Bonde 1962–1965Ambassador [19]
Louis De Geer 1966–1972Ambassador [20]
Harald Edelstam 1972 – 9 December 1973Ambassador [21] [8]
Carl-Johan Groth9 December 1973 – 1976Chargé d'affaires [b] [8] [22]
Peder Hammarskjöld1976–1980Chargé d'affaires [c] [23] [24]
Lars Schönander1981–1984Chargé d'affaires ad interim [c] [25] [26]
Håkan Wilkens1984–1987Chargé d'affaires [c] [27]
Staffan Wrigstad1987–1990Chargé d'affaires [c] [28] [29]
Staffan Wrigstad1990–1992Ambassador [28]
Madeleine Ströje-Wilkens1992–1997Ambassador [30]
Håkan Granqvist1997–2000Ambassador [31]
Arne Rodin2000–2005AmbassadorAccredited to Lima. [32]
Martin Wilkens2005–2006Chargé d'affaires ad interimAccredited to Lima. [33]
Maria Christina Lundqvist2006–2008AmbassadorAccredited to Lima. [34]
Eva Zetterberg 2009–2014AmbassadorAccredited to Lima. [35]
Jakob Kiefer2014–2018AmbassadorAccredited to Lima (2015–16). [36]
Oscar Stenström2018–2022Ambassador
Tomas WiklundAugust 2022 – 15 August 2025AmbassadorAccredited to Lima (from 2023). [37] [38] [39]
Sofia Karlberg2025 – presentAmbassador [40]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ With the following diplomatic ranks: legation counsellor (1934–40), minister plenipotentiary (1940–42). [14]
  2. ↑ Held the diplomatic rank of embassy counselor.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Held the diplomatic rank of minister.

References

  1. ↑ "Santiago de Chile, ambassadörsresidens" [Santiago de Chile, ambassador residence] (in Swedish). National Property Board of Sweden. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  2. ↑ "Kungl. May.ts proposition nr 360" [King in Council Bill No. 360] (in Swedish). Riksdag. 18 March 1919. 1919:360. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Utnämningar m.m." [Appointments etc]. Sydsvenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). No. 75. 17 March 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  4. ↑ "Statsutskottets utlåtande Nr 3" (in Swedish). Stockholm: Riksdag. 9 March 1937. p. 8. 1937:Su3. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Sveriges förste minister i Chile har tillträtt" [Sweden's first minister in Chile has taken office]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 16 April 1949. p. A5. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 "Nya ambassadörer" [New ambassadors]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 17 November 1956. p. 4A. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  7. ↑ Camacho Padilla, Fernando (2006). "Los asilados de las embajadas de Europa Occidental en Chile tras el golpe militar y sus consecuencias diplomáticas: El caso de Suecia" [Refugees from Western European Embassies in Chile after the military coup and its diplomatic consequences: The case of Sweden]. European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies | Revista Europea de Estudios Latinoamericanos y del Caribe (in Spanish) (81): 21ff. doi:10.18352/erlacs.9646 . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 "Carl-Johan Groth tar över Harald Edelstams arbete" [Carl-Johan Groth takes over Harald Edelstam's work]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 7 December 1973. p. 36. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  9. ↑ "Svensk ambassadör i Chile" [Swedish ambassador in Chile]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 22 April 1990. p. 6. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  10. ↑ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1943 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1943] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1942. p. 381. SELIBR   10335454.
  11. ↑ "Ekstrand, släkter". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 13. National Archives of Sweden. 1950. p. 174. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Brandell, Ulf (1967–1969). "Christian E Günther". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 17. National Archives of Sweden. p. 642. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  13. ↑ Rockberger, Nicolaus (1985–1987). "Einar Modig". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 25. National Archives of Sweden. p. 600. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  14. 1 2 Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1945 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1945] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1945. p. 852. SELIBR   8261511.
  15. ↑ "Svenskt handelsavtal med Chile" [Swedish trade agreement with Chile]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1 November 1936. p. 28. Retrieved 25 November 2025. ...undertecknats av Sveriges t. f. chargé d'affaires, legationsrådet Paulin...[...signed by Sweden's chargé d'affaires ad interim, Legation Counsellor Paulin...]
  16. 1 2 Svensson, Stina; Ekstedt, Tage, eds. (1955). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1955 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1955] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 988. SELIBR   3681511.
  17. ↑ Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1956). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1957 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1957] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 58.
  18. 1 2 Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1962). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1963 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1963] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 63. SELIBR   9649168.
  19. ↑ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1969). Sveriges statskalender 1969 (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. p. 124. SELIBR   3682754.
  20. ↑ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1977 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1977] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1976. p. 209. ISBN   91-1-766022-X. SELIBR   3681523.
  21. ↑ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1981 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1981] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1980. p. 230. ISBN   91-1-805012-3. SELIBR   3681525.
  22. ↑ Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1992). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 392. ISBN   91-1-914072-X. SELIBR   8261513.
  23. ↑ Ulvskog, Marita, ed. (6 August 1976). "namn i dag: Nytt från UD" [names of today: News from the Foreign Ministry]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 22. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  24. ↑ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1980). Sveriges statskalender 1980 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. p. 336. ISBN   91-38-05350-0. SELIBR   33682761.
  25. ↑ Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 997. ISBN   91-1-960852-7. SELIBR   3681533.
  26. ↑ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1984). Sveriges statskalender 1984 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. p. 346. ISBN   91-38-90400-4. SELIBR   3682782.
  27. ↑ Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1224. ISBN   9172850426. SELIBR   8261515.
  28. 1 2 Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1226. ISBN   91-1-960852-7. SELIBR   3681533.
  29. ↑ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1990). Sveriges statskalender 1990 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Allmänna. p. 354. ISBN   913812291X. SELIBR   3682769.
  30. ↑ Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1071. ISBN   9172850426. SELIBR   8261515.
  31. ↑ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2000). Sveriges statskalender 2000 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 172. ISBN   91-38-31692-7. SELIBR   8261600.
  32. ↑ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2005). Sveriges statskalender 2005 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. pp. 172, 186. ISBN   9138321971. SELIBR   9879458.
  33. ↑ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2006). Sveriges statskalender 2006 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. pp. 174, 190. ISBN   91-38-32230-7. SELIBR   10156707.
  34. ↑ Henriksson, Maria, ed. (2008). Sveriges statskalender 2008 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. pp. 177, 193. ISBN   978-91-38-32405-9. SELIBR   10900526.
  35. ↑ Sveriges statskalender 2010 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. 2010. pp. 177, 193. ISBN   978-91-38-32520-9. SELIBR   11846164.
  36. ↑ "Peru President receives credentials from new Ambassadors" (in Swedish). Lima: Andina. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  37. ↑ "Tomas Wiklund ny ambassadör i Chile" [Tomas Wiklund new ambassador in Chile] (Press release) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  38. ↑ "President of Peru receives credentials from five non-resident Ambassadors". Andina. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  39. ↑ Hällsten, Amanda (5 June 2025). "Svensk ambassadör utreds för missförhållanden" [Swedish ambassador investigated for misconduct]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 November 2025. Ambassadören avslutar sin tjänst enligt tidigare plan den 15 augusti 2025[The Ambassador will end his service as previously planned on 15 August 2025.]
  40. ↑ "Ny ambassadör i Chile" [New ambassador in Chile] (Press release) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
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