List of ambassadors of Sweden to Kuwait

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Ambassador of
Sweden to Kuwait
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent
Fredrik Florén
since September 2023
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Swedish Embassy, Abu Dhabi
StyleHis or Her Excellency (formal)
Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
SeatAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates[a]
AppointerGovernment of Sweden
Term lengthNo fixed term
Inaugural holderBengt Odhner
Formation23 April 1965

The Ambassador of Sweden to Kuwait (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the State of Kuwait) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the emir of Kuwait and government of Kuwait. Since 2017, Sweden’s ambassador has been based in Abu Dhabi, with concurrent accreditation to Kuwait.

History

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Diplomatic relations between Sweden and Kuwait were established in 1965.[1] On 23 April 1965, Sweden’s ambassador in Baghdad, Iraq, Bengt Odhner, was also appointed ambassador to Kuwait.[2] On 19 May 1965, Odhner presented his credentials to Crown Prince Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah.[3]

In 1971, a salaried consul was appointed as trade attaché at Sweden’s honorary consulate general in Kuwait City.[4][5]

In January 1974, Sweden decided to open an embassy in Kuwait, initially headed by a counsellor serving as chargé d’affaires ad interim.[6] From that year, Sweden’s ambassador in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was also accredited to Kuwait City. In 1977, Sweden appointed its first resident ambassador in Kuwait City. From the same year, the ambassador was also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama.[7]

On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. A week later, on 9 August, the Swedish embassy in Kuwait City received a direct order from the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to close by 24 August. The letter declared that all diplomatic missions in Kuwait no longer had any official duties and that diplomatic activities were to be transferred to Baghdad. The Swedish government refused to comply with this request.[8] On 24 August, Iraqi occupation forces were stationed outside at least six embassies in Kuwait City, including Sweden’s.[9] Ambassador Ingolf Kiesow [sv] and Embassy Secretary Lars-Erik Paulsson remained in Kuwait to keep the embassy open. On 8 September, they were forced to leave and were taken to Baghdad.[10] Kiesow returned to Kuwait in March 1991.[11]

In 2001, Sweden closed its embassy in Kuwait.[12] Since 2017, Sweden’s ambassador in Abu Dhabi has also been accredited to Kuwait.

List of representatives

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Name Period Resident/Non resident Title Notes Ref
Bengt Odhner 1965–1969 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Baghdad.
Gunnar Gerring 1969–1973 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Baghdad.
Bengt Rösiö 1974–1977 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Jeddah.
Thord Bengtson 1974–1977 Resident Chargé d'affaires ad interim[b] [13]
Göran Bundy 1977–1980 Resident Ambassador Also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama. [7]
Thord Bengtson 1980–1982 Resident Ambassador Also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama. [13]
Carl-Gustav Åkesson 1983–1986 Resident Ambassador Also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama. [14]
Ulf Norström 1987–1989 Resident Ambassador Also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama. [15]
Ingolf Kiesow 1989–1991[c] Resident Ambassador Also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama. [17]
Tommy Arwitz 1992–1997 Resident Ambassador Also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama. [18]
Thomas Ganslandt 1997–2001 Resident Ambassador Also accredited to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Manama. [19]
Åke Karlsson 2001–2006 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Riyadh. [20]
Jan Thesleff 2006–2011 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Riyadh. [21]
Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt 2011–2016 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Riyadh. [22][23]
Henrik Landerholm 2017–2021 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Abu Dhabi. [24]
Liselott Andersson 2021–2023 Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Abu Dhabi. [25]
Fredrik Florén September 2023 – present Non-resident Ambassador Resident in Abu Dhabi. [26]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Since 2017, the Swedish ambassador in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates has a dual accreditation to Kuwait City.
  2. ^ Held the diplomatic rank of embassy counsellor.[13]
  3. ^ After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, Ingolf Kiesow [sv] stayed in Kuwait City until he was forced to leave on 8 September, at which point he was stripped of his diplomatic immunity.[16] Kiesow returned to Kuwait in March 1991.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Kuwait" (in Swedish). Government Offices of Sweden. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  2. ^ "?". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 24 April 1965. p. 12. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  3. ^ "?". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 21 May 1965. p. 28. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  4. ^ Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 827. ISBN 91-1-960852-7. SELIBR 3681533.
  5. ^ Sköldenberg, Bengt, ed. (1973). Sveriges statskalender 1973 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell. p. 372. SELIBR 3682755.
  6. ^ "Utrikes: U-hjälpen ökar 35 proc. men målet kan ej nås nu" [Foreign Affairs: Aid increases 35 percent but the goal cannot be reached now]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 12 January 1974. p. 10. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 190. ISBN 91-1-960852-7. SELIBR 3681533.
  8. ^ Olofson, Sune (11 August 1990). "Regeringen vägrar flytta ambassaden" [The government refuses to move the embassy]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 6. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Irak omringar ambassader" [Iraq surrounds embassies]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Nicosia. AP. 25 August 1990. p. 4. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  10. ^ Andersson, Roger (5 November 1990). "Diplomaten som blev gisslan" [The diplomat who became a hostage]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Slagsmål om Kuwaituppdrag" [Fight over Kuwait assignment]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). No. 79. 21 March 1991. p. 1. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Utrikesutskottets yttrande 2001/02:UU2y" [Opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 2001/02:UU2y] (in Swedish). Riksdag. 2001. Retrieved 18 August 2025. Ambassaden i Kuwait flyttas till Abu Dhabi. [The embassy in Kuwait is moved to Abu Dhabi.]
  13. ^ a b c 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. 94. ISBN 91-1-914072-X. SELIBR 8261513.
  14. ^ Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1246. ISBN 91-1-960852-7. SELIBR 3681533.
  15. ^ 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. 825. ISBN 91-1-914072-X. SELIBR 8261513.
  16. ^ Andersson, Roger (5 November 1990). "Diplomaten som blev gisslan" [The diplomat who became a hostage]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 9. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  17. ^ Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 612. ISBN 9172850426. SELIBR 8261515.
  18. ^ Jönsson, Lena, ed. (2000). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 2001 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 2001] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 77. ISBN 9172850426. SELIBR 8261515.
  19. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2001). Sveriges statskalender 2001 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes. pp. 172, 178, 183, 189. ISBN 9138318385. SELIBR 8261601.
  20. ^ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (2006). Sveriges statskalender 2006 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. pp. 185, 192. ISBN 91-38-32230-7. SELIBR 10156707.
  21. ^ Sveriges statskalender 2010 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. 2010. pp. 188, 195. ISBN 978-91-38-32520-9. SELIBR 11846164.
  22. ^ "Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt". LinkedIn. Retrieved 4 February 2025. Ambassador of Sweden to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman & Yemen
    Embassy of Sweden to KSA
    sep. 2011–aug. 2016 5 years
  23. ^ "Join us next week on Friday for a lecture with Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt..." Association of Foreign Affairs in Lund. 17 November 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025 – via Instagram. He has previously served as an Ambassador in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen...
  24. ^ "CV Henrik Landerholm" (PDF) (in Swedish). Government Offices of Sweden. September 2023. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  25. ^ "H.E. Ambassador Liselott Andersson presented her letter of credence to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister H.E Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednesday, May 31 in Kuwait". Embassy of Sweden, Abu Dhabi. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2025 – via Instagram.
  26. ^ "Ambassador Fredrik Floren had the honour of presenting his letter of credentials to Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E Abdullah Al-Yahya". Embassy of Sweden, Abu Dhabi. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025 – via Instagram.
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