List of ambassadors of Sweden to Syria
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Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
| Ambassador of Sweden to Syria | |
|---|---|
 | |
Incumbent since 2024Jessica Svärdström Chargé d'affaires | |
| Ministry for Foreign Affairs Swedish Embassy, Damascus | |
| Style | His or Her Excellency (formal) Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal) |
| Reports to | Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Beirut, Lebanon[a] |
| Appointer | Government of Sweden |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Inaugural holder | Widar Bagge |
| Formation | 1947 |
| Website | Swedish Embassy, Damascus |
The Ambassador of Sweden to Syria (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Syrian Arab Republic) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the president of Syria and government of Syria. Since the 2010s, Sweden's ambassador to Lebanon has also served as chargé d'affaires in Syria.
Sweden recognized Syria and Lebanon as independent states on 2 November 1945.[1] Sweden and Syria established diplomatic relations in 1946.[2] In the council on 7 February 1947, Sweden's minister in Cairo, Envoy Widar Bagge, was appointed as envoy to both Damascus and Beirut, while remaining stationed in Cairo.[1] In June 1957, Åke Sjölin was appointed as Sweden's first resident envoy in Beirut, with concurrent accreditation in, among other places, Damascus.[3]
In 1958, Syria entered into a political union with Egypt, forming the United Arab Republic, after which the Swedish envoy in Beirut was no longer accredited in Damascus. In 1961, Syria seceded from the union following the 1961 Syrian coup d'état. On 1 February 1962, Gösta Brunnström presented his credentials to Syria's president, Dr. Nazim al-Qudsi, in his capacity as Sweden's new ambassador to Syria. Brunnström thus became the first Swedish ambassador to Syria since 1958, when the country merged with Egypt.[4]
In 1974, Sweden opened an embassy office in Damascus, which was subordinate to the Swedish embassy in Beirut and headed by a chargé d'affaires ad interim until August 1983, when Göran Berg was appointed as Sweden's first resident ambassador to the newly established independent embassy in Damascus.[5][6]
On 29 March 2012, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs decided to scale down operations and staff at the embassy in Damascus until further notice. Due to the developments, the embassy in Damascus has not been continuously staffed, and its operations have since been primarily conducted from Beirut.[2]
Since the 2010s, Sweden's ambassador to Lebanon has also served as chargé d'affaires in Syria.[7]
List of representatives
| Name | Period | Resident/Non resident | Title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Syrian Republic (1930–1950) | |||||
| Widar Bagge | 1947–1950 |  Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Cairo. | [8] |
| Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) and Syrian Arab Republic (1961–1963) | |||||
| Widar Bagge | 1950–1951 | Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Cairo. | [8] |
| Gustaf Weidel | 1951–1955 | Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Cairo. | [9] |
| Brynolf Eng | 1955–1957 | Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Cairo. | [10] |
| Åke Sjölin | 1957–1958 | Non-resident | Envoy | Resident in Beirut. | [11] |
| – | 1958–1961 | Non-resident | – | None during the political union with Egypt. | [4] |
| Gösta Brunnström | 1961–1963 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Beirut. | [12] |
| Syrian Arab Republic (1963–2024) | |||||
| Gösta Brunnström | 1963–1965 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Beirut. | [12] |
| Claës Ivar Wollin | 1965–1969 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Beirut. | [13] |
| Åke Jonsson | 1969–1974 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Beirut. | [14] |
| Jean-Jacques von Dardel | 1974–1978 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Beirut (until 25 March 1976[b]). | [16] |
| Göran Wide | 1976[c]–1979 |  Resident | Chargé d'affaires ad interim[d] | [20][21] | |
| Sten Strömholm | 1979–1983 | Non-resident | Ambassador | Resident in Beirut. | [22] |
| Ingmar Karlsson | 1979–1983 | Resident | Chargé d'affaires ad interim[e] | [23][24] | |
| Göran Berg | 1983–1987 | Resident | Ambassador | [25] | |
| Rolf Gauffin | 1987–1991 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Beirut (from 1990). | [26] |
| Stig Elvemar | 1991–1994 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Beirut. | [27] |
| Jan Axel Nordlander | 1994–1997 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Beirut. | [28] |
| Tommy Arwitz | 1997–2001 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Beirut (until 1999[f]). | [29][30] |
| Viola Furubjelke | 2001–2005 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Beirut. | [31] |
| Catharina Kipp | 2005–2008 | Resident | Ambassador | Also accredited to Beirut. | [32] |
| Niklas Kebbon | 13 October 2008 – 2014 | Resident[g] | Ambassador | Also accredited to Beirut. | [33][34] |
| Diana Janse | October 2014 – 2015 | Non-resident | Chargé d'affaires | Resident in Beirut. | [35][36] |
| Mikael Staaf | 2015–2015 | Non-resident | Chargé d'affaires ad interim | Resident in Beirut. | [37] |
| Peter Semneby | 2015–2017 | Non-resident | Chargé d'affaires | Resident in Beirut. | [38] |
| Jörgen Lindström | September 2017 – August 2020 | Non-resident | Chargé d'affaires | Resident in Beirut. | [39] |
| Ann Dismorr | September 2020 – 2024 | Non-resident | Chargé d'affaires | Resident in Beirut. | [40][41] |
| Jessica Svärdström | 2024–present | Non-resident | Chargé d'affaires | Resident in Beirut. | [42] |
