Venezuela is to close its embassy in Norway – just days after the South American country’s opposition leader was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
In a statement, Nicolas Maduro’s government said the country will also close its Australian embassy – as part of a “strategic re-assignation of resources”.
The announcement comes just days after the Nobel Committee in Oslo announced Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for fighting for democracy in the South American country.
Ms Machado dedicated the prize to US President Donald Trump, at a time of escalating tensions between Caracas and Washington over several deadly US military strikes on vessels off its Caribbean coast, which Washington alleges were carrying drugs.
Both Norway and Australia are US allies.
Norway’s foreign ministry said it had received notice of the embassy closure but no reason for the decision.
“This is regrettable. Despite the fact that we have different views on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will work towards that,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters.
“The Nobel Prize is independent of the Norwegian government, and when it comes to questions about the prize, we refer to the Nobel Committee,” the spokesperson added.
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Kristian Berg Harpviken, secretary of the award body, told Reuters the Venezuelan embassy’s closure was not an issue for the committee.
“For the committee, the task at hand is to select the right Nobel Peace Prize laureate,” he said. “And Maria Corina Machado is certainly a worthy winner.”
Explainer: Who is Maria Corina Machado?
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The Venezuelan government said that following the closures in Norway and Australia, new embassies would open in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe, which were “two sister nations, strategic allies in the anti-colonial fight and in the resistance against hegemonic pressures”.
The governments of Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso are more aligned with that of Russia, which has supported Venezuela at the United Nations and accused the US of acting according to “the cowboy principle of ‘shoot first'”.
Caracas said consular services to Venezuelans in Norway and Australia would be provided by “diplomatic missions”, with details to be shared in the coming days.
