By ANTHONY IAN CRUZ
Malaya
Dec. 29, 2007
SWEDEN will close down its embassy in Manila by June 30, 2008 “at the latest,” according to the Swedish foreign ministry.
It has also decided to end development assistance to the Philippines following a government review.
“Sweden’s embassy to the Philippines mainly works on promoting Swedish exports and helping Swedish companies to compete for contracts in the Asian Development Bank (ADB),” said the ministry.
It said Swedish exports to the Philippines “account for about 0.07 percent of all Swedish exports and Sweden has a small share of ADB contracts.”
In place of the embassy, Sweden will set up an honorary consulate in Manila to serve Swedish citizens.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo expressed “deep concern” over the closure of the Swedish embassy “at a time when relations between the Philippines and Sweden are flourishing in all fields.”
He said “bilateral trade is growing, our investments are increasing, and our tourism exchanges are rising.” He did not provide figures.
He also said the Philippine embassy in Stockholm will remain open.
While closing down embassies in the Philippines, Laos and Angola, Sweden also set up new ones in Afghanistan, Sudan and Belarus.
The ministry said it is “part of the Swedish government’s continuous review of its organization abroad and assessment of its status in relation to changes in the surrounding world and changing requirements for monitoring and service.”
The Swedish embassy said: “This is an ongoing process which sometimes leads to Sweden opening new or closing existing embassies and consulates. The foreign ministry must also adapt its organization abroad to its budget and meet the demands for streamlining that apply to all ministries and government agencies.”
Sweden ranked 20th among foreign aid donors to the Philippines in 2005, when it provided Manila with about $2.8 million.
In 2006, total Swedish aid went up to $6 million, mostly intended for projects on human rights, democratic governance, natural resources and the environment. This year, Sweden gave $100 million for the Philippine revenue collection improvement program.
Sweden is also a major donor to the Mindanao Trust Fund, also allotting $100 million for 2006-2008.
Most Swedish aid is coursed through the development cooperation arm SIDA and then through partner organizations. ###