Sweden's embassy is moved back to Beirut

Published 4 October 2024 at 08.18

Foreign. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now decided that Sweden's embassy in Lebanon – which for security reasons has been located in Nicosia, Cyprus since 3 August – will resume operations on site in Beirut again.

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In October 2023, the Foreign Ministry issued the strictest advisory for Lebanon. The Foreign Ministry has therefore for almost a whole year advised against all travel to Lebanon and urged all Swedish citizens in Lebanon to leave the country.

For security reasons, the Swedish embassy staff sent by the Foreign Ministry has been working from Cyprus since August 3, 2024. During the entire time, the embassy has offered consular support for Swedish citizens who wanted to leave Lebanon, including through the possibility of consular financial assistance according to the regulations for Swedish citizens residing in Sweden who wanted to leave Lebanon by plane but lacked money for a ticket.

“The demand for consular support has been low”, notes the Foreign Ministry, however.

There are still commercial flights from Lebanon, but the booking pressure is severe. Swedish citizens are still urged to book plane tickets and leave the country.

Embassy personnel are now being relocated to Beirut, in order to be able to more easily follow the development of events on the ground in the escalated situation – together with other countries. The main aim is to, alongside the support already offered through, for example, the possibility of consular financial assistance according to the regulations, to be prepared to assist Swedish citizens who need a passport to be able to leave Lebanon.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will return with information about when the embassy staff is on site. The intention is that this will happen shortly”, writes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.