New Swedish Ambassador to Kazakhstan takes office

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ASTANA. KAZINFORM - The newly-appointed Ambassador of Sweden to Kazakhstan, Mats Olof Foyer, has presented his credentials to Roman Vassilenko, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan today, Kazinform has learnt from Welcome Nordic web portal. 

The Government of Sweden announced the appointment of Mats Foyer as the head of the Swedish Diplomatic Mission in Astana this July. Ambassador Foyer took up the post on October 19.

The new ambassador holds a LLB and BA from the University of Stockholm and speaks four languages: Swedish, English, Russia and French.

Foyer held the post of minister in charge of political affairs at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing and other posts in Russia and the Czech Republic.

Additionally, he was the Swedish Ambassador accredited to and resident in North Korea in 2005-2010. It should be noted that he was involved in the negotiations to release American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling held in North Korea. The journalists were sentenced to 12 years' hard labor in 2009 and pardoned by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il the same year. The government of Sweden represents the U.S. in North Korea in lieu of an American embassy.

As a reminder, this year, Kazakhstan and Sweden celebrate a remarkable milestone - the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

The Swedish Embassy opened its doors in Astana in 2010. Kazakhstan unveiled its Embassy in Stockholm three years later.
Some 30 Swedish companies operate in Kazakhstan. Bilateral cultural contacts are promoted by a non-governmental organization, the Scandinavian Council.

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