Venezuela has closed its embassy in Oslo, Norway’s foreign ministry confirmed on Monday, days after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
The ministry said it had been informed of the decision by Venezuelan officials, without any explanation. Local newspaper VG reported that calls to the embassy went unanswered before its phone lines were disconnected.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Cecilie Roang said Norway “wants to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open,” despite differing views.
Machado, a long-time critic of President Nicolás Maduro, was recognised for her efforts to promote democracy and free elections in Venezuela. She remains in hiding after being barred from holding public office and facing legal pressure from authorities.
The move comes amid speculation that the closure may be linked to Machado’s award, which has been celebrated by Venezuelan opposition groups but criticised by pro-government media in Caracas.
Although the Nobel ceremony takes place in Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee says it operates independently and has no formal link to the Norwegian government.
Norway, which mediated talks between Maduro’s government and the opposition in 2019 and 2021, has yet to say whether diplomatic contact will continue through other channels.
Venezuela's government said on Monday it will close its embassies in Norway and Australia and open new ones in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe as part of a restructuring of its foreign service, after weeks of growing tensions with the U.S.
The closures are part of the "strategic re-assignation of resources," President Nicolas Maduro's government said in a statement, adding that consular services to Venezuelans in Norway and Australia would be provided by diplomatic missions, with details to be shared in coming days.
Caracas said it was setting up new embassies in "two sister nations, strategic allies in the anti-colonial fight and in the resistance against hegemonic pressures."
It added that these new embassies would serve to launch joint projects involving agriculture, energy, education, mining and other common interests.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of August, covering the latest developments. ...
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffi...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday that his party will introduce a bill to ban children under 16 from using social media. ...
Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.
A large-scale drone attack has hit Russia's Samara region, damaging facilities and disrupting operations at an Ozon logistics complex, according to regional authorities and the company.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for a wartime election, arguing that holding a vote while Russia's full-scale invasion continues would divide the country and undermine national unity.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have elevated bilateral ties with a Treaty on Eternal Friendship signed by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on 23 August. The leaders also agreed to expand trade, investment, transport, and regional cooperation.
A newly created pro-government political party has secured a commanding victory in Kazakhstan's snap parliamentary election, according to exit polls, strengthening President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's influence at a pivotal moment in the country's political transition.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of August, covering the latest developments.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday that his party will introduce a bill to ban children under 16 from using social media. The proposal would allow fines of up to 10 per cent of a platform’s global revenue for non-compliance.
Russia reported a major fire at an Ozon logistics hub in Krasnodar after a drone attack on Monday, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied Kyiv’s official involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline blasts.
Icelanders will vote on Saturday, 29 August, on whether to begin negotiations with the European Union, in a referendum that could reopen the country’s long-debated membership question.
At least 30 people have been killed after a massive landfill collapsed onto homes in Guinea's capital, Conakry, following heavy overnight rainfall that triggered a deadly landslide of waste in one of the city's densely populated districts.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment