Sweden on April 22 officially launched an ‘honorary consulate" in Phnom Penh, with Cambodian national Kim Tol Tan appointed as the consular officer.

Speaking at the launch, Tol Tan said she had been tasked with overseeing all affairs related to consulate works in Cambodia to assist her colleagues based in Thailand.

The newly minted consular officer added that as a Cambodian national, she was proud and grateful to have been trusted to represent Sweden.

Jon Astrom Grondahl, the Thailand-based ambassador of Sweden, said at the launch that the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had prepared a new strategy in recent years, including modernising consulate services and cooperation by promoting gender equality.

Back in November 2020, the Swedish government decided that its embassy in Phnom Penh would be closed by the end of 2021, due to its strategic changes.

“These changes are part of the MFA’s continuous adaptation of its organisation abroad to external changes and new monitoring and service requirements. This is a constant process of change, and involves Sweden sometimes opening or closing embassies and consulates,” state a statement of the Sweden government.