Saudi Arabia Withdraws Its Ambassador from Sweden

On Wednesday, March 10, the Swedish Foreign Ministry announced that Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador from Sweden. This action was taken in response to Sweden's cessation of military cooperation with Saudi Arabia. After Sweden ended its military collaborations with Saudi Arabia, a spokesperson for the Swedish Foreign Ministry told AFP, "Diplomatic relations have not been severed, but the Saudi ambassador has been recalled from Stockholm." Sweden canceled its long-term military contract with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after accusing Riyadh of preventing Margot Wallström, the Swedish Foreign Minister, from speaking at the Arab League summit. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven stated on Wednesday on the country's public radio, "This is not a game. This is a serious issue that must be addressed seriously." The Swedish Social Democratic Party has long been pressured by its coalition partner, the Green Party, to cancel this military contract. The Social Democrats refrained from citing human rights issues as the motivation for this decision, but Ms. Wallström stated that Saudi Arabia prevented her from speaking at the Arab League opening session in Cairo due to her known stance in support of democracy in the region. The military contract between the two countries included the sale of military equipment, support, technology, and training. The Swedish Defense Minister stated that only medical and pharmaceutical cooperation and gender studies would remain in effect. Peter Hultqvist, the Swedish Defense Minister, told the country's public television, "In practice, there is no longer a military contract. What we can offer is a long-term invitation for participation in the medical field and education on gender issues. However, the other party, Saudi Arabia, has shown no interest." According to AFP, this long-term military contract, signed in 2005 and renewed in 2010, has faced severe public criticism in Sweden since 2011 following revelations by journalists about the Swedish government's covert assistance in establishing a weapons factory in Saudi Arabia. Thord Johnson, a political science expert at the University of Gothenburg, told AFP that after heated public debates, Sweden's decision to cancel the military contract was "not entirely unexpected." He added, "What surprises me more is the signing of this contract ten years ago when Saudi Arabia was considered a relatively normal country."