General Affairs and External Relations Council
The General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) is meeting in Luxembourg on 15-16 June. The General Affairs Council is preparing the June Summit while the Foreign Ministers are discussing topics including the Middle East, Cuba and the Western Balkans. Sweden is being represented by Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmström.
Gunilla Carlsson to meet Morgan Tsvangirai
On Tuesday 16 June, Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will arrive in Stockholm and meet Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson and others. The agenda will include the humanitarian situation and development in Zimbabwe, and what form future Swedish support may take.
New development strategy for Iraq
The Government today adopted a new strategy for development cooperation with Iraq for the period 2009-2014. The new strategy is designed to contribute to a lasting peace in Iraq, improved living conditions and democratic development.
90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Poland
The 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Poland fell on 3 June. Sweden was one of the first countries with which the newly independent Poland established diplomatic ties. This fact was highlighted today when Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski visited Carl Bildt for a bilateral meeting.
Eleven foreign ministers to visit Sweden
Today the foreign ministers from Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece, Spain, Lithuania, Finland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg are scheduled to visit Stockholm and Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt. The aim of the visit is to discuss the forthcoming Swedish Presidency of the EU at a joint dinner.
Diplomatic corps briefed on the Swedish Presidency of the EU
Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmström and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Frank Belfrage met foreign ambassadors in Stockholm on the 8th of June to brief them on the preparations and current issues ahead of the imminent Swedish Presidency of the EU.
Nordic foreign ministers adopt declaration
A joint declaration was adopted today at the ongoing meeting of the Nordic foreign ministers in Reykjavik. The five foreign ministers from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway welcome the proposals presented in the Stoltenberg Report. They are regarded as an important source of inspiration for deeper Nordic cooperation in foreign, security and defence policy.
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross visiting Sweden
Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson today welcomed the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger. The meeting focused on Sweden's role in promoting compliance with international humanitarian law during the upcoming Presidency of the EU and the effects of the global crisis and the fact that the most vulnerable people in the world are the hardest hit by it.
Minister for Trade Ewa Björling meets EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton
Minister for Trade Ewa Björling and EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton have today met in Stockholm to discuss trade priorities for the upcoming Swedish Presidency of the European Union. They expressed their strong commitment to completing a range of important bilateral trade deals with third countries, including the ambitious free trade agreement with South Korea.
Gunilla Carlsson meets Afghan parliamentarians
Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson today met two young Afghan parliamentarians who are visiting Sweden at the invitation of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. The purpose of the visit is to establish contacts with Swedish Riksdag members, government agencies and organisations in Sweden, and to exchange experiences and raise issues from a gender perspective. Joining them on the visit is Afghan documentary film maker Diana Saqib.
