MIAMI, United States. – The Venezuelan regime closed its embassy in Norway and also that of Australia as part of a “first phase of comprehensive restructuring” of its foreign service, while announcing the opening of new headquarters in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso. The measure, officially communicated by Caracascoincided with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the opposition leader María Corina Machado three days before.
In the official statement, broadcast on Venezuelan State channels, the Foreign Ministry framed the changes in a “strategic reallocation of resources” to “strengthen alliances with the Global South.” The text specifies that “new embassies will be opened in the Republic of Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso,” and that these missions “will serve as key platforms to promote cooperation projects in agriculture, energy, education, mining and other areas of common interest.”
Likewise, “as part of the strategic reallocation of resources, the closure of the embassies in the Kingdom of Norway and Australia has been ordered,” with consular care assumed “through concurrent diplomatic missions.”
The official statement also highlights that “the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ratifies that these actions reflect its unwavering will to defend national sovereignty and actively contribute to the construction of a new world order, based on justice, solidarity and inclusion.”
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the closure and expressed regret for the decision. “Although we have different opinions on several issues, Norway wants to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will work towards it,” said spokesperson Cecilie Roang in statements sent to the Norwegian press. In parallel, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry noted that the Venezuelan embassy in Oslo closed “without a reason being offered” for the measure.
The Caracas announcement came this Monday and came just three days after the Norwegian Nobel Committee will grant Machado the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, for “his tireless work in promoting the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and for his fight to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
The diplomatic context remains tense since the presidential elections of July 28, 2024. In this context, several Latin American governments did not know the official result and Caracas cut off relations with some of them.
