List of ambassadors of Sweden to Chile

The Swedish foreign minister, in a 14 January 1918 report to the King in Council regarding the 1919 national budget, reviewed Sweden's trade and maritime relations with South America. Concerning Chile, he noted that Sweden was represented only by an honorary consul in Valparaíso, who was also head of a large British firm. It was considered desirable to have a paid Swedish representative in Chile. This could be achieved without creating a separate consular or chargé d'affaires post by accrediting Sweden's diplomatic representative in Buenos Aires also to the Chilean Republic. Thanks to the new railway over the Andes, the distance between Buenos Aires and Santiago was small enough for the head of mission to visit Chile regularly. During his absence, a commercial attaché serving both countries could handle ongoing duties, and a consular officer could be added later if needed.^[2] Sweden's first minister accredited in Chile was Carl Hultgren [sv], who was appointed as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the Argentine and Chilean republics, with residence in Buenos Aires, starting on 1 April 1918.^[3]

In 1929 the Swedish Parliament decided to establish a salaried vice-consulate in Valparaíso. On 1 July 1933 the vice-consulate was moved to Chile's capital, Santiago. When the then–vice-consul Torsten Vinell [sv] went on an extended approved leave at the beginning of 1934, the legation counsellor Axel Paulin [sv] who worked at the mission in Buenos Aires—and who had also been registered with the Chilean government as a member of the mission in Santiago—was appointed to serve as substitute. At the same time, he was notified to the Chilean government as chargé d’affaires ad interim. This was considered natural since his regular post was diplomatic, and the arrangement entailed no additional costs for the state. When the vice-consul position later became vacant, the same diplomat was appointed on 1 July 1934 to temporarily manage that post as well.^[4]

In 1949, Sweden appointed its first resident minister in Santiago, Envoy Folke Wennerberg [sv]. He presented his credentials to Chilean President Gabriel González Videla on 7 April.^[5]

In November 1956, an agreement was reached between the Swedish and Chilean governments on the mutual elevation of the respective countries' legations to embassies. The diplomatic rank was thereafter changed to ambassador instead of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary.^[6]

Following the military coup in Chile on 11 September 1973, Sweden's ambassador, Harald Edelstam, was declared persona non grata in December of the same year for helping over 1,200 Chileans, hundreds of Cuban diplomats and civilians, and around 50 Uruguayan refugees escape persecution under dictator Augusto Pinochet.^[7] To signal its disapproval, Sweden did not appoint a new ambassador. Carl-Johan Groth [sv] took over as head of mission with the rank of chargé d'affaires.^[8] No new Swedish ambassador was appointed in Santiago for the next 17 years while the Government Junta ruled Chile.

In 1990, Sweden once again had a Swedish ambassador in Chile for the first time since the military coup of 1973. On 20 April, Sweden's then chargé d'affaires, Staffan Wrigstad [sv], presented his credentials to Chile's new president, Patricio Aylwin. According to Foreign Minister Sten Andersson, Sweden sought to accredit a new ambassador in Santiago as quickly as possible following the change of power, as a way to further demonstrate its strong support for Chile's democratic government.^[9]

• 
  Ambassador Jakob Kiefer (2014–2018).

• Chile–Sweden relations
• Embassy of Sweden, Santiago