Sweden has elected a new Riksdag
The newly elected Riksdag will gather at the opening of the Riksdag session on 5 October. Until then, the current Government will remain in power.
New foreign ambassadors in place
Flags are flying today outside the Ministry for Foreign Affairs offices in the Prince Royal's Palace at Gustav Adolfs Torg to mark five new foreign ambassadors presenting their letters of credence to His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf during a formal audience at Stockholm's Royal Palace. The new ambassadors are from Poland, Denmark, Iraq, Greece and Moldova.
Gunilla Carlsson welcomes new head of the "UN Woman"
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday appointed former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet as head of the new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
"The Secretary-General has made a wise decision in appointing Michelle Bachelet as head of UN Women. Ms Bachelet has demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to move gender equality work forward in practice, both in her own country and in the UN. She has the vision, experience and drive needed to ensure that the new entity is the positive force for change in the UN's gender equality work that I and many others are hoping for," says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.
EU foreign ministers meet
Today sees the start of Gymnich, the meeting where the EU foreign ministers come together for discussions on an informal basis. Andrés Jato recently took up his post as Sweden's European Correspondent responsible for coordinating EU issues in the Ministry for Foreign Affair' area of responsibility. Together with his colleagues he has had some busy days preparing for Gymnich.
Carl Bildt about the danger with fanatics
"I notice in the media that a religious fanatic in Florida intends to burn the Koran any day soon. President Obama has now also made it clear that this is an act of immense tastelessness and lack of judgement.
Our open societies are quite right to protect the freedom of expression and information. We must not budge on this.
But it remains injudicious to deliberately provoke and challenge people who have a different faith in this way."
Sweden to open mini-embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan
Today the Government decided to open an embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan, in autumn 2010. Kazakhstan is the most prominent of the five central Asian republics. Having an official posted in the capital of Kazakhstan will make it easier for Sweden to follow political, economic and social developments in the country more closely. The embassy will be a 'mini-embassy' with a chargé d'affaires posted from Stockholm sharing premises with officials representing Norway and Finland. No migration services will be offered and ordinary passports will not be issued. The embassy office of the Netherlands in Almaty will continue to process Swedish visa cases in the country
Swede new Director-General of CBSS Secretariat
Jan Lundin takes up his post today as Director-General of the Permanent International Secretariat of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). Mr Lundin is an MFA diplomat and has previously served at the embassies in Berlin, Belgrade and Moscow.
The CBSS is a forum for regional cooperation between 11 countries in the region and the European Commission. This cooperation, which is led by the countries' foreign ministers, is conducted within the framework of a number of expert groups. The Secretariat is based in Stockholm.
Music and fashion to put Sweden on the map
Swedish music, fashion and digital games are a few industries that can promote the image of Sweden abroad. They are three creative industries that have a good reputation beyond our borders. This is why the Government is now investing even more in the experience industry, especially since we have seen that activities previously conducted abroad have generated a lot of interest and received a positive response.
New Head of the Protocol Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
The Government has appointed Caroline Vicini as the new Head of the Protocol Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA). Ms Vicini returns to the MFA after a year as a consultant in the business world. She has previously served with the MFA at the Swedish embassies in Washington, Rome, Paris and Algiers. She was also Deputy Head of the MFA European Security Policy Department.
Sweden to contribute to reinforced EU commitment in Kyrgyzstan
The Government has decided to make staff available to reinforce the EU's commitment in Kyrgyzstan. Helena Vazquez from Sweden has been appointed political adviser to the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia, Pierre Morel.
"I am happy that we can contribute Swedish expertise in this concrete way," comments Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.
