List of ambassadors of Sweden to Syria

Ambassador of Sweden to Syria
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent Jessica Svärdström Chargé d'affaires since 2024
Ministry for Foreign Affairs Swedish Embassy, Damascus
Style	His or Her Excellency (formal) Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports to	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Seat	Beirut, Lebanon [a]
Appointer	Government of Sweden
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Widar Bagge
Formation	1947
Website	Swedish Embassy, Damascus

The Ambassador of Sweden to Syria (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Syrian Arab Republic) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the president of Syria and government of Syria. Since the 2010s, Sweden's ambassador to Lebanon has also served as chargé d'affaires in Syria.

History

Sweden recognized Syria and Lebanon as independent states on 2 November 1945. ^[1] Sweden and Syria established diplomatic relations in 1946. ^[2] In the council on 7 February 1947, Sweden's minister in Cairo, Envoy Widar Bagge, was appointed as envoy to both Damascus and Beirut, while remaining stationed in Cairo. ^[1] In June 1957, Åke Sjölin was appointed as Sweden's first resident envoy in Beirut, with concurrent accreditation in, among other places, Damascus. ^[3]

In 1958, Syria entered into a political union with Egypt, forming the United Arab Republic, after which the Swedish envoy in Beirut was no longer accredited in Damascus. In 1961, Syria seceded from the union following the 1961 Syrian coup d'état. On 1 February 1962, Gösta Brunnström presented his credentials to Syria's president, Dr. Nazim al-Qudsi, in his capacity as Sweden's new ambassador to Syria. Brunnström thus became the first Swedish ambassador to Syria since 1958, when the country merged with Egypt. ^[4]

In 1974, Sweden opened an embassy office in Damascus, which was subordinate to the Swedish embassy in Beirut and headed by a chargé d'affaires ad interim until August 1983, when Göran Berg  [ sv ] was appointed as Sweden's first resident ambassador to the newly established independent embassy in Damascus. ^{[5] [6]}

On 29 March 2012, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs decided to scale down operations and staff at the embassy in Damascus until further notice. Due to the developments, the embassy in Damascus has not been continuously staffed, and its operations have since been primarily conducted from Beirut. ^[2]

Since the 2010s, Sweden's ambassador to Lebanon has also served as chargé d'affaires in Syria. ^[7]

List of representatives

Name	Period	Resident/Non resident	Title	Notes	Ref
Widar Bagge	1947–1951	Non-resident	Envoy	Resident in Cairo.	[8]
Gustaf Weidel	1951–1955	Non-resident	Envoy	Resident in Cairo.	[9]
Brynolf Eng	1955–1957	Non-resident	Envoy	Resident in Cairo.	[10]
Åke Sjölin	1957–1958	Non-resident	Envoy	Resident in Beirut.	[11]
–	1958–1961	Non-resident	–	None during the political union with Egypt.	[4]
Gösta Brunnström	1961–1965	Non-resident	Ambassador	Resident in Beirut.	[12]
Claës Ivar Wollin	1965–1969	Non-resident	Ambassador	Resident in Beirut.	[13]
Åke Jonsson	1969–1974	Non-resident	Ambassador	Resident in Beirut.	[14]
Jean-Jacques von Dardel	1974–1978	Non-resident	Ambassador	Resident in Beirut (until 25 March 1976 [b] ).	[15]
Göran Wide	1976 [c] –1979	Resident	Chargé d'affaires ad interim [d]		[16] [17]
Sten Strömholm	1979–1983	Non-resident	Ambassador	Resident in Beirut.	[18]
Ingmar Karlsson	1979–1983	Resident	Chargé d'affaires ad interim [e]		[19] [20]
Göran Berg	1983–1987	Resident	Ambassador		[21]
Rolf Gauffin	1987–1991	Resident	Ambassador	Also accredited to Beirut (from 1990).	[22]
Stig Elvemar	1991–1994	Resident	Ambassador	Also accredited to Beirut.	[23]
Jan Axel Nordlander	1994–1997	Resident	Ambassador	Also accredited to Beirut.	[24]
Tommy Arwitz	1997–2001	Resident	Ambassador	Also accredited to Beirut (until 1999 [f] ).	[25] [26]
Viola Furubjelke	2001–2005	Resident	Ambassador	Also accredited to Beirut.	[27]
Catharina Kipp	2005–2008	Resident	Ambassador	Also accredited to Beirut.	[28]
Niklas Kebbon	13 October 2008 – 2014	Resident [g]	Ambassador	Also accredited to Beirut.	[29] [30]
Diana Janse	October 2014 – 2015	Non-resident	Chargé d'affaires	Resident in Beirut.	[31] [32]
Mikael Staaf	2015–2015	Non-resident	Chargé d'affaires ad interim	Resident in Beirut.	[33]
Peter Semneby	2015–2017	Non-resident	Chargé d'affaires	Resident in Beirut.	[34]
Jörgen Lindström	September 2017 – August 2020	Non-resident	Chargé d'affaires	Resident in Beirut.	[35]
Ann Dismorr	September 2020 – 2024	Non-resident	Chargé d'affaires	Resident in Beirut.	[36] [37]
Jessica Svärdström	2024–present	Non-resident	Chargé d'affaires	Resident in Beirut.	[38]

See also

• Sweden–Syria relations

Footnotes

1. The chargé d'affaires is resident in Beirut, Lebanon since the 2010s due to the civil war.
2. The Swedish embassy in Beirut was evacuated by order of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on 25 March 1976.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000029-QINU`"'
3. Göran Wide served in Damascus from 1974, the same year the embassy office opened, but it is uncertain whether he was chargé d'affaires ad interim for the first two years.
4. He held the following diplomatic ranks: Vice consul (1974–1976), consul (1976–1977), and embassy counselor (1977–1979).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000030-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000031-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-00000032-QINU`"'
5. He held the following diplomatic ranks: embassy counselor
6. Sweden reopened its embassy in Beirut in 1999 but closed it two years later, after which the Swedish ambassador in Damascus was once again given concurrent accreditation to Beirut in 2001.
7. On 29 March 2012, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs decided to scale down operations and staff at the embassy in Damascus until further notice. Due to the developments of the civil war, the embassy in Damascus has not been continuously staffed, and its operations have since been primarily conducted from Beirut.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000066-QINU`"'

References

1. "Sändebudet i Cairo envoyé Widar Bagge" [The minister in Cairo envoy Widar Bagge]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 8 February 1947. p. 20. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
2. "Syrien" [Syria] (in Swedish). Government Offices of Sweden . Retrieved 12 December 2023.
3. "Utnämningar inom UD" [Appointments within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 28 June 1957. p. 4A. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
4. "Ny ambassadör" [New ambassador]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 2 February 1962. p. A7. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
5. "Om oss" [About us] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Damascus. 23 May 2024. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
6. Hultman, Barbro, ed. (24 August 1983). "namn i dag: Göran Berg" [namn i dag: Göran Berg]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 17. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
7. "Om oss" [About us] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Beirut. 23 May 2024. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
8. Sveriges statskalender för året 1951 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1951. p. 293.
9. Sveriges statskalender för året 1955 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1955. p. 308.
10. Sveriges statskalender för året 1957 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1957. p. 290.
11. 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. 998. ISBN   91-1-914072-X.
12. Lagerström, Sten, ed. (1966). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1967 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1967] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 143. SELIBR   3681518.
13. Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1994). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1995 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1995] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1209. ISBN   91-1-943202-X. SELIBR   8261514.
14. Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 566. ISBN   91-1-843222-0. SELIBR   3681527.
15. Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 236. ISBN   91-1-843222-0. SELIBR   3681527.
16. Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1979). Sveriges statskalender 1979 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. p. 353. ISBN   91-38-04622-9. SELIBR   3682760.
17. "Nya ambassadråd" [New embassy counsellors]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 9 February 1979. p. 13. Retrieved 21 February 2025. Ambassadrådet t.f.charge d'affaires Göran Wide, Damaskus, har...[Embassy Counsellor, Charge d'affaires ad interim Göran Wide, Damascus, has...]
18. 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. 1042. ISBN   91-1-914072-X. SELIBR   8261513.
19. Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 592. ISBN   91-1-960852-7. SELIBR   3681533.
20. "officiellt" [officially]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 16 February 1979. p. 15. Retrieved 21 February 2025. Departementssekreterare Ingmar Karlsson har förordnats till ambassadråd och tf chargé d'affaires i Damaskus[Desk officer Ingmar Karlsson has been appointed as counsellor and chargé d'affaires ad interim in Damascus]
21. Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1987). Sveriges statskalender 1987 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Allmänna. p. 367. ISBN   91-38-09751-6. SELIBR   3682766.
22. Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 373. ISBN   91-1-960852-7. SELIBR   3681533.
23. Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 292. ISBN   9172850426. SELIBR   8261515.
24. Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 843. ISBN   9172850426. SELIBR   8261515.
25. Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1999). Sveriges statskalender 1999 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 186, 195. ISBN   91-38-31445-2. SELIBR   3682778.
26. Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2001). Sveriges statskalender 2001 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 193. ISBN   9138318385. SELIBR   8261601.
27. Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2005). Sveriges statskalender 2005 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. p. 182, 191. ISBN   9138321971. SELIBR   9879458.
28. Henriksson, Maria, ed. (2008). Sveriges statskalender 2008 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. p. 188, 198. ISBN   978-91-38-32405-9. SELIBR   10900526.
29. "Ambassadens personal" [Embassy staff] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Damascus. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
30. Sveriges statskalender 2010 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. 2010. pp. 188, 198. ISBN   978-91-38-32520-9. SELIBR   11846164.
31. "Ny ambassadör i Libanon" [New ambassador in Lebanon] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
32. "Ambassadens personal" [Embassy staff] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Damascus. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
33. "Ambassadens personal" [Embassy staff] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Damascus. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
34. "Ambassadens personal" [Embassy staff] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Damascus. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
35. "Jörgen Lindström" (in Swedish). LinkedIn . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
36. "Ann Dismorr". Folke Bernadotte Academy . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
37. "Ambassadens personal" [Embassy staff] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Damascus. 9 November 2021. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
38. "Ambassadens personal" [Embassy staff] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Damascus. 9 December 2024. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.

External links

• Embassy of Sweden, Damascus, official website