Sweden to close Hanoi embassy in 2011
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The Vietnamese government has expressed regret that Sweden will close down its embassy in Hanoi next year due to budget cuts.
Nguyen Phuong Nga, spokeswoman for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the press that the government would create favorable conditions for Sweden to re-open the embassy.
The Vietnamese government always attaches great importance to the traditional and friendly relation between the two countries, she said.
“We wish that both sides will continue to boost bilateral cooperation in the future through appropriate measures and forms to meet the two countries’ aspirations and benefits”.
Two days ago, the Swedish government announced it would close five embassies in Hanoi, Buenos Aires, Brussels, Kuala Lumpur and Luanda during 2011 due to recent cuts to the government's budget.
"This painful decision is a consequence of the recent decision of the Riksdag to cut funding to the Government Offices by SEK 300 million [$43 million]" says Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt on www.sweden.gov.se.
According to newswire http://www.swedishwire.com, last year the Swedish government decided to close its embassy in Colombo and the consulates-general in Kaliningrad, Canton, Los Angeles and New York.
