Ministry for Foreign Affairs

The King and Queen will pay a State Visit to Estonia on 2–4 May 2023 at the invitation of President Alar Karis. The accompanying delegation will include members of the Swedish Government.

Today, Monday 20 March, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission hosted an International Donors’ Conference in support of the people affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. At the Conference, Sweden presented its total support of approximately EUR 45 million. Pledges made at the Conference totalled approximately EUR 7 billion.

On Monday 20 March, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell will attend the international donors’ conference in Brussels. The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU initiated the donors’ conference to help the people in Türkiye and Syria affected by the earthquakes.

On 20–21 March, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission will co-host the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels. The Forum brings together decision-makers and key actors from the humanitarian community with the aim of strengthening the EU’s role as a humanitarian actor. The Forum will be chaired by Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell.

Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell received Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir Saleh in Stockholm on 14 March. During the visit, the ministers participated in a Swedish-Egyptian business forum together with business representatives.

Earthquakes: The European Commission and the Swedish Council Presidency will host an International Donors’ Conference in support of the people in Türkiye and Syria on 20 March in Brussels.

On 14 March, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell will present the Government’s Music Export Prize for 2022. The nominees include internationally renowned Swedish artists and songwriters.

(New version) Sweden has pledged an additional EUR 6.8 million to the response in Syria, where the earthquakes have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis. On 12 February, 300 family tents were transported to Türkiye. To date, Sweden has contributed approximately EUR 10.1 million in support for those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.

The following is a statement from the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union.

The government bill is an important step on the path to NATO membership. The Riksdag’s approval is required for Sweden to accede to NATO.

This support is intended to strengthen the two countries’ efforts to meet the humanitarian needs of women and girls and promote their opportunities and rights in both the short and the long term. The support will be channelled through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women.

Today, UN negotiations on an agreement to protect marine biodiversity succeeded after 15 years. The agreement will establish rules to limit environmental impacts and marine protected areas beyond national jurisdiction, which make up 95 per cent of the volume of the world’s oceans. The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has led the negotiations on behalf of the EU and its Member States together with the European Commission.

The Government has decided to donate 722 000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to the COVAX global vaccine initiative. Sweden has thereby donated more than 15 million doses and contributed more than SEK 2 billion to global vaccination efforts against COVID-19.

On 27 February, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Nations hosted a high-level pledging event for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis hosted the event, which raised almost USD 1.2 billion for life-saving assistance. Sweden pledged more than USD 25 million.

Sweden warmly welcomes today’s announcement that a deal has been reached between the European Commission and the Government of the United Kingdom on the issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol. We congratulate President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Sunak and their respective teams on this important achievement.

The European Union has just adopted the tenth sanctions package against Russia in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Both the sectoral and individual sanctions have progressively been expanded. They are currently described as the most extensive ever, but what does that really mean?

War and displacement bring with them an increased risk of people being exploited in prostitution and human trafficking. Women and children are at particularly high risk when families are separated as a result of war. New international support material has therefore been produced to support Swedish and foreign diplomatic missions in their efforts to combat human trafficking.

National Statement delivered by H.E. Mr. Jan Knutsson, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, at the Resumed Eleventh Emergency Special Session on Ukraine, New York, 22 February 2023.

As part of the Government’s clear prioritisation of Ukraine, yet another extensive Swedish support package is being allocated to the country. The support focuses on humanitarian operations and Ukraine’s energy sector.