Advertisement

Swedish PM Stefan Löfven to meet Donald Trump in the White House

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Swedish PM Stefan Löfven to meet Donald Trump in the White House
Stefan Löfven and Donald Trump. Photo: Erik Abel/TT & AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House this spring, the two countries' respective governments have announced.

Advertisement

The leaders are expected to meet on March 6th to discuss growth, innovation and job creation as well as how Sweden and the US can work together on external relations, defence and security.

"Our relations with the United States are important, both for our economy and our security. Through our broad cooperation we create growth and security for our citizens," said Löfven.

"President Trump looks forward to exchanging views on deepening the bilateral ties between the United States and Sweden, with a focus on trade and investment between our two countries," read a White House statement.

"The President and Prime Minister will also discuss how to jointly advance regional and global security and how to achieve shared defence goals."

READ ALSO: US tourists flock to Sweden

The Social Democrat leader has met Trump in person once before, during the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in September last year.

They then spoke about how to resolve the conflict with North Korea, with whom Sweden has a uniquely long-standing diplomatic relationship. It also serves an important role for the US in the country, including providing consular responsibility for US citizens.

The meeting is likely to be friendly, even though the pair are far apart politically. Sweden has not forgotten the American President's infamous "last night in Sweden" speech just over a year ago, which prompted Löfven and even King Carl XVI Gustaf himself to emphasize the importance of fact-checking.

Löfven's deputy, environment minister Isabella Lövin, went viral last year with a picture of her signing the proposal for Sweden's climate law with her female colleagues, parodying Trump's signing off on an abortion order while surrounded only by men.

Despite being in office for over a year, the Trump administration has yet to appoint an ambassador to Sweden since former ambassador Azita Raji left on January 20th.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also