Relationship dossier
Chile
Sweden
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation shaped by a severe historical rupture and subsequent rapprochement
Chile toward Sweden
+35Chile participated in bilateral cooperation initiatives during President Michelle Bachelet’s 2016 visit to Sweden, including agreements and memoranda in areas such as innovation and sustainable development. Chile’s 1973 expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador, during the dispute over Sweden’s response to the coup, was a major rupture.
Sweden toward Chile
+40Sweden provided refuge to Chileans fleeing the 1973 coup, and Swedish ambassador Harald Edelstam helped protect Chileans in danger, prompting Chile to expel him. In later years Sweden and Chile pursued bilateral cooperation, including initiatives associated with Bachelet’s 2016 visit.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship combines a grave historical confrontation in 1973 with later diplomatic rapprochement and practical bilateral cooperation. The 2016 visit and associated agreements indicate substantive engagement, while the scale and durability of cooperation beyond those initiatives remain unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Chile and Sweden have developed practical bilateral cooperation, including agreements and memoranda associated with President Michelle Bachelet’s 2016 visit to Sweden. Their relationship also carries a serious historical rupture: Chile expelled Sweden’s ambassador in 1973 amid Sweden’s response to the coup and its support for Chilean refugees. Later cooperation has made the relationship substantially constructive, though the breadth of current bilateral arrangements is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Chile’s expulsion of Swedish ambassador Harald Edelstam in 1973 amid Sweden’s response to the coup and assistance to Chileans at risk.
Key developments
Chile expelled Swedish ambassador Harald Edelstam amid tensions over Sweden’s response to the coup and his efforts to protect Chileans at risk.
President Michelle Bachelet visited Sweden and the two governments pursued cooperation initiatives, including agreements and memoranda on innovation and sustainable development.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation following the 2016 visit are unclear.
- The present extent of government-to-government cooperation beyond the known agreements is unclear.