STOCKHOLM (Sweden), January 21 (SeeNews) – Sweden said on Thursday it will close down its embassies in Sofia and Ljubljana, and will upgrade to embassies its section offices in Pristina, Chisinau and Tirana in the course of 2010.
The reason is Sweden's goal to make the best possible use of the funds it needs to maintain the country’s presence abroad, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said in a statement on the government's website.
"We have a very intensive direct cooperation with cabinet ministers, ministries and authorities [of EU member states] and this reduces the need for a classic diplomatic presence", Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter quoted the country's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt as saying. Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 and Bulgaria followed in 2007.
Sweden, whose rotating presidency of the European Union ended on December 31, will also close down its embassies in EU members Slovakia, Ireland and Luxembourg. The Swedish embassy in Senegal will also be closed.
At the same time, Sweden will enhance its presence in the Caucasus, the Balkans and West Africa, the statement said.
Upgrading section offices to embassies is part of the process of supporting the implementation of Swedish-financed development assistance contributions in countries with which Stockholm conducts long-term development cooperation, the Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said in the same statement.