Ann Linde

Ann Christin Linde (born 4 December 1961) is a Swedish politician of the Social Democratic Party[1] who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Magdalena Andersson from 2019 to 2022.[2][3]

Not to be confused with Anna Lindh.

Ann Linde
Linde in 2016
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office
10 September 2019 – 17 October 2022
Prime MinisterStefan Löfven
Magdalena Andersson
Preceded byMargot Wallström
Succeeded byTobias Billström
Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
In office
1 January 2021 – 1 January 2022
Preceded byEdi Rama
Succeeded byZbigniew Rau
Minister for Nordic Cooperation
In office
21 January 2019 – 10 September 2019
Prime MinisterStefan Löfven
Preceded byMargot Wallström
Succeeded byAnna Hallberg
Minister of Foreign Trade
In office
25 May 2016 – 10 September 2019
Prime MinisterStefan Löfven
Preceded byMikael Damberg
Succeeded byAnna Hallberg
Minister for EU Affairs
In office
25 May 2016 – 21 January 2019
Prime MinisterStefan Löfven
Preceded byBirgitta Ohlsson (2010–14)
Succeeded byHans Dahlgren
Personal details
Born
Ann Christin Linde

(1961-12-04) 4 December 1961
Helsingborg, Sweden
Political partySocial Democratic Party
SpouseMats Eriksson (1989–present)
Children2
OccupationPolitician

Linde previously served as Minister of Foreign Trade and Minister for Nordic Cooperation.[4] Before that, she was the Minister for European Union Affairs and Trade for the Löfven Cabinet from 25 May, 2016.[5]

Political career

Throughout the 1990s, Linde worked in government offices, including as the Ministry Secretary of Civil Affairs and the political advisor of the EU and Trade Minister Mats Hellström of Foreign Affairs and of Defense Minister Björn von Sydow on Ministry of Defence.[6]

Linde worked as international secretary at the Social Democratic Party in Sweden from 2000 to 2013. From 2013 to 2014, she was the head of the International Department of the European Socialist Party (PES) in Brussels, an umbrella organization for all social-democratic parties in the EU.[3]

From 2014 until 2016, Linde served as State Secretary for the Ministry of Justice[7] In this capacity, she worked with Interior Minister Anders Ygeman.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (2019–2022)
Linde with Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg in 31 August 2021
Linde with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May 2022

Linde was appointed minister for foreign affairs following Margot Wallström's resignation on 10 September 2019.

Under Linde's leadership, Sweden's government decided in March 2020 to send a rapid reaction force of up to 150 troops and helicopters to Mali to join French-led Takuba task force in fighting militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State in the Sahel region of North Africa.[8] By early 2022, Linde announced that Sweden would withdraw troops from a European special forces mission to the Sahel region and will review its participation in the Takuba task force over the presence of private Russian military contractors.[9]

When Sweden took over the rotating Chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2021, Linde became the organization's Chairperson-in-Office.[10][11]

Accession of Sweden to NATO
See also: Sweden–NATO relations

On 1 May 2022, she expressed that it was "almost certain" that Finland would join NATO.[12] While most current NATO members responded positively to the application, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced his opposition, accusing both Sweden and Finland of tolerating Kurdish militant groups PKK, PYD and the YPG, which Turkey classifies as terrorist organizations,[13] and followers of Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating a failed 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt.[14] On 20 May, Linde pushed back against Erdoğan's claim they support PKK, calling it "disinformation", and pointing out Sweden listed PKK as a terrorist organization in 1984, while the EU followed suit in 2002.[15]

On 29 July, Linde announced that the ministry of foreign affairs would call in the Russian ambassador to explain himself in the wake of him mocking a Swedish volunteer soldier who died in a grenade attack in the Donbas region in Ukraine. She called his words "reprehensible and tasteless", with her full statement saying: "The text his reprehensible and tasteless. The ambassador doesn't mention at all that it was Russia who started the war, but only Russia can stop it".[16]

Political positions

When a parliamentary majority in favour of Sweden expressing the option of joining NATO emerged in 2020, Linde rejected such plans and reiterated her conviction that the country was best served by independence from alliances.[17]

Controversies

Headscarf controversy

Linde attracted criticism for wearing a headscarf during a visit by a government delegation to Tehran in 2017 when she met president Hassan Rouhani.[18]

Transport Agency security breaches

Being State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Linde was one of the first politicians in the Government Offices who received information from the Security Department that there was a potential leak of sensitive information from the Transport Agency. The agency had outsourced parts of its IT services, including a data base with information about holders of driving licences, as well as about the Swedish road infrastructure.[19]

Islamic revolution celebration

As Minister of Foreign Trade, Linde took part in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Linde's participation was criticized by Iranian community organizations in Sweden, who argued that Linde's participation in the celebration was an insult to all Iranians living in Sweden who had to flee the Islamic regime.[20]

Other activities

Honours

Recognition
  • 2011 – "Friend of Palestine of the Year", awarded by a Palestinian community organization in Sweden (Palestinska föreningen)[24]

Foreign honours

Personal life

Since 1989, Linde has been married to Mats Eriksson.[27] She has two children.[27]

References
  1. Swedish trade minister Linde shifting to Foreign affairs Archived 15 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine Yahoo News Retrieved 11 September 2019
  2. "Swedish PM appoints trade minister Linde as new foreign minister". CNA. Archived from the original on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  3. Anna Ringstrom (9 September 2019), Swedish trade minister Linde shifting to foreign affairs: TV Archived 5 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  4. Eklundh, Johanna (18 January 2019). ""En av de svagaste regeringarna sedan efterkrigstiden"". SVT Nyheter. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020
  5. "Ann Linde, S, är ny EU- och handelsminister". Dagens Nyheter. 25 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  6. Swedish trade minister Ann Linde to become new Foreign minister Archived 30 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine Euronews Retrieved 11 September 2019
  7. "Statssekreterare blir EU-minister". VLT. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  8. Simon Johnson (16 March 2020), Sweden says to send up to 150 special forces troops to Mali Archived 30 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine Reuters Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  9. Ardee Napolitano and John Irish (14 January 2022), Sweden to withdraw from French-led special forces mission in Mali Archived 16 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  10. Francois Murphy (28 August 2020), OSCE chairman renews offer to facilitate dialogue in Belarus Archived 28 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  11. Sweden takes over OSCE Chair Archived 1 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), press release of 1 January 2021.
  12. "Sveriges utenriksminister tror Finland kommer til å bli med i NATO" (in Norwegian). ABC Nyheter. 1 May 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  13. "Erdogan says Turkey not supportive of Finland, Sweden joining NATO". Reuters. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  14. "Erdogan says Swedish, Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Turkey". Reuters. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  15. "Sweden blasts Turkish 'disinformation' as Erdoğan delays NATO accession". Politico. 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  16. "UD ska kalla upp representant för ryska ambassaden: "Kommande vecka"" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. 29 July 2022. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  17. Anna Ringstrom (9 December 2020), Majority in Swedish parliament backs 'NATO option' after Sweden Democrats shift Archived 26 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine Reuters.
  18. "Sweden defends officials wearing headscarves in Iran". BBC News. 13 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  19. "Roger Haddad: Ann Linde kände till Transportstyrelsens IT-brister 2015". SVT Nyheter. Sveriges Television. 8 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  20. "Ann Lindes deltagande i firande av den "Islamiska" revolutionen är ett hån mot iranier". FFFI (in Swedish). 16 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  21. Members Archived 2 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine European Council on Foreign Relations.
  22. Board of Directors Archived 16 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine Anna Lindh Memorial Fund.
  23. Official CV of Ann Linde Archived 22 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine Government of Sweden.
  24. "Prisad Palestinavän". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 22 November 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  25. "Foreign Minister Ann Linde wearing the Order of the Lion of Finland during the banquet in honour of the President of Finland at Stockholm in May 2022". Shutterstock. 17 May 2022. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  26. "Royal Decree 1012/2021" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  27. "The 1st Politician of the Year". Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.

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