Relationship dossier
Saudi Arabia
Sweden
Relationship assessment
Commercial ties alongside a record of sharp diplomatic friction over human rights and defense cooperation
Saudi Arabia toward Sweden
-25Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Sweden in 2015 during a diplomatic dispute over Swedish criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record. The episode marked a concrete deterioration in Saudi government relations with Sweden.
Sweden toward Saudi Arabia
-25In 2015, Sweden ended its military cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia amid disagreement over human rights and Saudi Arabia’s response to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström’s criticism. This was a concrete Swedish policy decision that strained bilateral relations.
Overall relationship
-20The relationship has sustained commercial connections but is not characterized by a close political or defense partnership. The 2015 dispute, including Sweden’s termination of military cooperation and Saudi Arabia’s ambassadorial recall, represents a significant episode of bilateral friction.
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
Saudi-Swedish relations have included commercial engagement but have also faced a major diplomatic dispute over Sweden’s criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record. In 2015, Sweden ended its military cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador amid the dispute. The episode shows recurring political friction alongside continued bilateral ties.
Areas of tension
- Swedish criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human-rights record
- Sweden’s termination of the military cooperation agreement in 2015
- Saudi Arabia’s response to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström’s criticism
Key developments
Sweden ended its military cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia amid a diplomatic dispute over human-rights criticism.
Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Sweden during the dispute.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of subsequent government-to-government cooperation is unclear.
- The current scope of bilateral defense and commercial arrangements is unclear.