MINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin should encourage his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt to reconsider the decision to close Sweden’s embassy in Dublin, Fine Gael's foreign affairs spokesman has said.
Speaking at the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs yesterday, Billy Timmins said the decision to close the mission in August after more than 60 years sent out a “worrying” message.
The Dublin mission is one of six embassies the Swedish government has earmarked for closure as it reassesses its diplomacy to focus on developing countries where it maintains aid programmes.
Sweden’s embassies in Bratislava, Ljubljana, Luxembourg, Sofia and Dakar are also due to close.
Explaining the changes last month, Sweden’s foreign minister said new forms of “bilateral contacts” could be developed within the framework of close co-operation between EU states.