Norway to close its Embassy in Astana in 2016

Norway will close its Embassy in Astana the next year, the Government of Norway announced.

"Next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will make some changes to Norway's diplomatic presence abroad. The embassies in Astana (Kazakhstan), Sofia (Bulgaria), Lusaka (Zambia) and Harare (Zimbabwe) will close. Norway's presence in Haiti and southern India will be strengthened," said the Government.

'The Ministry must adapt to the changes that are taking place in the world, taking into account the resources available to run missions abroad. The structure of the Foreign Service, and the location, size, tasks and priorities of the missions abroad must be constantly be assessed,' said Foreign Minister Børge Brende.

The Foreign Service today is made up of 103 missions in 87 countries.

Source: akipress.org