State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)
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The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Swedish: kabinettssekreterare) is the highest position below the rank of cabinet minister at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. As of 2007, Frank Belfrage is State Secretary.
The title can alternatively be translated as Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs or Secretary General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Before 1945, in a situation where the political head of the ministry often changed rapidly, the Secretary General represented the continuous lines in Sweden's foreign policy; and was considered a prestigious step in the diplomatic career.
From 1932, Sweden has experienced a great deal of stability on the post of Foreign Minister, and from 1945 and on the post as State Secretary has increasingly been politized and a subject of replacement in connection with shifts of Foreign Minister. The precise role of the State Secretary has changed from cabinet to cabinet, particularly due to different prime ministers' particular interest and involvement in the shaping of foreign policy.
[edit] Notable State Secretaries
- Dag Hammarskjöld
- Sverker Åström
- Pierre Schori
- Erik Boheman
- Christian Günther
- Karl Ivan Westman
- Lars-Åke Nilsson
- Leif Leifland
- Jan Eliasson
- Hans Dahlgren
[edit] External links
- Ministry leadership (Organization of the MoFA) (English). Government of Sweden (2007-12-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-25.