Sweden to open embassy in Moldova by year's end

The Swedish government announced Thursday, January 21, it would open 10 new embassies, including in the Republic of Moldova, to strengthen Sweden's presence in the countries which benefit from Swedish aid programs, Info-Prim Neo has learned from international media. Besides Moldova, Swedish embassies will open in Albania, Kosovo, Georgia and a number of African countries. At the same time, the Swedish government decided to close embassies in a number of EU member countries. “We want to be where we make the best possible use of the money that a Swedish presence costs”, explained Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. The new embassies will be opened by the end of the year. At present, the bilateral relations between Sweden and Moldova are maintained through the Swedish Embassy in Bucharest and the Section for Cooperation Development and Political Affairs in Chisinau. In Moldova, Sweden is an important financial contributor to governmental and non-governmental programs.