Foreign and security policy

In this Communication, the Swedish Government provides an account of Sweden’s export control policy with respect to military equipment and dual-use items in 2018. The Communication also contains a report detailing exports of military equipment during the year. In addition, it describes the cooperation in the EU and other international forums on matters relating to strategic export controls on both military equipment and dual-use items.

This strategy will underpin Sweden’s cooperation with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for the period 2019–2023. The strategy determines priorities and forms of cooperation for Sweden’s membership of and partnership with the Global Fund.

The seventh dialogue between Sweden and Cambodia on human rights took place on 21–23 October in Stockholm. The talks were led by Sweden’s Ambassador at large for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Annika Ben David. The purpose of the dialogue is to provide the opportunity for exchange of experience and to follow developments in human rights in the two countries.

Brexit, EU enlargement and the EU’s long-term budget were among the issues that Prime Minister Stefan Löfven raised when he met his EU colleagues on 17–18 October. The heads of state and government also discussed the situation in Syria and Turkey.

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On Thursday 15 August, some 80 volunteers from more than 30 countries are invited to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to celebrate the impact made by the MFA’s and Wikimedia Sweden’s international initiative, WikiGap. The initiative has gained a foothold in more than 60 countries and has so far resulted in 32 000 new or edited articles about women on Wikipedia. These articles have now been viewed more than 100 million times.

Salpy Eskidjian Weiderud, Executive Director of the Swedish-led Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process (RTCYPP), is today awarded the first-ever International Religious Freedom Award by the US Department of State.

The threat posed by nuclear weapons is greater now than for several decades. A number of states are modernising their arsenals, and the lack of trust between states is an urgent problem. Nuclear disarmament is therefore a key priority of the Government’s foreign and security policy. The Government observes that the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in its current form is not ready for signing. The Government will refrain from signing or pursuing ratification of the TPNW at the present time. However, nuclear disarmament efforts continue through a number of different initiatives.

The defence ministers and supreme commanders from the nations of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) met in Klaipėda, Lithuania, on 28 June. Sweden was represented by Policy Director Johan Lagerlöf and Chief of Defence Staff of the Swedish Armed Forces Jonas Haggren.

On 12 June, young people from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia will meet in Luleå together with national and regional representatives and experts in the framework of the Swedish Chairmanship of the Barents Euro Arctic Council to discuss concrete and forward-looking proposals to increase youth engagement and influence in the Barents region.

Sweden and France have today taken a new step to further increase our bilateral cooperation, at national level, within the European Union and globally.

April 13, 2019

The objective of Swedish international development cooperation is to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression.

On 13 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström presented the 2019 Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. Check against delivery.

Swedish Explanation of Vote at the Adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution on MONUSCO, Friday, 31 March 2017, New York.

National Statement by Sweden at the Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Somalia, Friday, 27 January 2017, New York.

National Statement by Sweden at the Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Yemen, Thursday, 26 January 2017, New York.

National Statement by Sweden on the Situation in the Lake Chad Basin Region, Thursday, 12 January 2017, New York.