List of ambassadors of Sweden to Lebanon
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Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
| Ambassador of Sweden to Lebanon | |
|---|---|
 | |
Incumbent since 2024Jessica Svärdström | |
| Ministry for Foreign Affairs Swedish Embassy, Beirut | |
| Style | His or Her Excellency (formal) Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal) |
| Reports to | Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Appointer | Government of Sweden |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Inaugural holder | Widar Bagge |
| Formation | 1947 |
| Website | Swedish Embassy, Beirut |
The Ambassador of Sweden to Lebanon (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Lebanon) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the president of Lebanon and government of Lebanon. Sweden established diplomatic relations with Lebanon in 1947 and appointed its first resident ambassador in Beirut in 1957. The Swedish embassy in Beirut was temporarily closed during the Lebanese Civil War in 1985 and again in 2001, with staff periodically reassigned to Damascus or other locations. It was reopened in 2016, but in August 2024, the embassy was temporarily closed and staff were relocated to Cyprus due to the Israel–Hezbollah conflict.
Sweden recognized Lebanon and Syria as independent states on 2 November 1945.[1] Sweden and Lebanon established diplomatic relations in 1947.[2] In the council on 7 February 1947, Sweden's minister in Cairo, Envoy Widar Bagge, was appointed as envoy to both Beirut and Damascus, while remaining stationed in Cairo.[1] In June 1957, Åke Sjölin was appointed as Sweden's first resident envoy in Beirut.[3]
In March 1960, an agreement was reached between the Swedish and Lebanese 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. In connection with this, Sweden's newly appointed envoy to Beirut, Gösta Brunnström, was designated as ambassador.[4]
Due to the unstable situation in Lebanon and concern for the safety of personnel, no posted officials were assigned to the Embassy in Beirut during the period February–September 1984. From the autumn of 1984, the head of mission was stationed in Amman, Jordan with concurrent accreditation to Beirut, where the mission was led by a chargé d'affaires ad interim.[5] During the Lebanese Civil War in November 1985, it was announced that the Swedish embassy in Beirut would be temporarily closed until the situation stabilized.[6] Ambassador Ingemar Stjernberg was officially the ambassador to Lebanon but had been stationed in Stockholm since New Year's Eve 1985.[7] From 1987, he served as consul general in West Berlin but remained accredited as ambassador to Beirut.[8]
From 1990, Sweden's ambassador in Damascus was also accredited to Beirut.[9] In the fall of 1996, the Swedish government decided to reassign Swedish staff to the mission in Beirut.[10] The mission was reactivated in February 1996, and Leif Rensfeldt was appointed as chargé d'affaires and head of mission.[11] The ambassador in Damascus remained accredited to Beirut.[12]
In January 2000, Ambassador Ann Dismorr succeeded chargé d'affaires Sverker Åström in Beirut, and Sweden once again had a resident ambassador in Lebanon after 15 years of absence.[13] On 26 April 2001, the Swedish government decided to close the embassy in Beirut. The embassy would be closed only after Sweden had completed its Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the end of June.[14] From 2001, the Swedish ambassador in Damascus was once again accredited to Beirut as well.
From October 2014, Sweden's chargé d'affaires in Damascus, Diana Janse, was stationed in Beirut due to the security situation. On 1 April 2015, she was appointed as the new resident ambassador in Beirut.[15][16] On July 14, 2016, the Swedish government decided to reopen an embassy in Beirut. The embassy was to be fully established by 2017.[17]
In August 2024, the embassy was temporarily closed and staff were relocated to Cyprus due to the Israel–Hezbollah conflict.[18]
List of representatives
| Name | Period | Resident/Non resident | Title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widar Bagge | 1947–1951 |  Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Cairo. | [19] |
| Gustaf Weidel | 1951–1955 | Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Cairo. | [20] |
| Brynolf Eng | 1955–1957 | Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Cairo. | [21] |
| Åke Sjölin | 1957–1960 |  Resident | Envoy | Dual accreditation to Damascus (1957–1958) and Amman (1957–1960). | [22] |
| Bo Alander | 1958–1958 | Resident | Chargé d'affaires ad interim | [23] | |
| Gösta Brunnström | 1960–1965 | Resident | Ambassador | Dual accreditation to Riyadh, Amman, and Nicosia (1960–1965) as well as Damascus (1961–1965). | [24] |
| Claës Ivar Wollin | 1965–1969 | Resident | Ambassador | Dual accreditation to Amman, Damascus, Jeddah, and Nicosia. | [25] |
| Åke Jonsson | 1969–1974 | Resident | Ambassador | Dual accreditation to Amman, Damascus, and Nicosia (1969–1974), Riyadh (1969–1974) and Sanaa (1971–1974). | [26] |
| Jean-Jacques von Dardel | 1974–1978 | Resident | Ambassador | Dual accreditation to Damascus and Amman. | [27] |
| Sten Strömholm | 1979–1983 | Resident | Ambassador | Dual accreditation to Damascus and Amman. | [28] |
| Ingemar Stjernberg | 1983–1990 | Resident[a] | Ambassador | Dual accreditation to Amman. | [8] |
| Lars Bjarme | 1984–1985 | Resident | Chargé d'affaires ad interim[b] | [29][30] | |
| Rolf Gauffin | 1990–1991 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Damascus. | [9] |
| Stig Elvemar | 1991–1994 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Damascus. | [31] |
| Jan Nordlander | 1994–1997 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Damascus. | [32] |
| Leif Rensfeldt | 1996–1999 | Resident | Chargé d'affaires ad interim | [12] | |
| Tommy Arwitz | 1997–1999 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Damascus. | [12] |
| Sverker Åström | 1999–1999 | Resident | Chargé d'affaires | [33] | |
| Ann Dismorr | 1999–2001 | Resident | Ambassador | [34] | |
| Viola Furubjelke | 2001–2005 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Damascus. | [35] |
| Catharina Kipp | 2005–2008 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Damascus. | [36] |
| Niklas Kebbon | 2008–2015 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Damascus. | [37] |
| Diana Janse | 2015–2015 | Resident | Ambassador | Also chargé d'affaires in Damascus (from October 2014). | [15][16] |
| Peter Semneby | 2015 – August 2017 | Resident | Ambassador | Also chargé d'affaires in Damascus. | [38] |
| Jörgen Lindström | September 2017 – August 2020 | Resident | Ambassador | Also chargé d'affaires in Damascus. | [39] |
| Harriet Pedersen | September 2020 – 2021 | Resident | Ambassador | [40] | |
| Ann Dismorr | 2021–2024 | Resident | Ambassador | [41] | |
| Jessica Svärdström | 2024 – present | Resident | Ambassador | [42] |
