Venezuela has shut down its embassy in Oslo, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy of democracy and human rights in the country.
The Venezuelan government announced the closure on Monday, framing it as part of a “restructuring” of its foreign service. The statement made no reference to Machado or the Nobel award. Norway’s foreign ministry confirmed the embassy’s closure but said no explanation had been given by Caracas.
Diplomatic backlash after Nobel recognition
The Nobel Committee in Oslo awarded Machado the prize on Friday, praising her as a tireless defender of democratic freedoms in a nation gripped by political and humanitarian crises. In stark contrast, President Nicolás Maduro lashed out, calling the 58-year-old opposition leader a “demonic witch.”
Norwegian officials described the decision to close the embassy as “regrettable.” A ministry spokeswoman stressed that the Nobel Prize “is independent of the Norwegian government,” adding that Oslo “wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela.”
Broader diplomatic shifts
The embassy closure in Norway follows a similar move in Australia, while Venezuela announced the opening of new embassies in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, calling them “strategic partners in the fight against hegemonic pressures.”
Machado, long a central figure in Venezuela’s opposition movement, has spent much of the past year in hiding amid government crackdowns. Her recognition by the Nobel Committee was widely seen as a symbolic victory for the country’s pro-democracy movement.
Speaking to BBC Mundo, Machado said the award felt “like an injection” of hope. “It infuses energy, hope, and strength in the Venezuelan people because we realise that we are not alone,” she said.
Rising tensions with the US
The diplomatic rift comes amid renewed tension between Caracas and Washington. In recent weeks, the US military said it had destroyed at least four boats carrying narcotics from Venezuela to the United States, killing 21 people. The Venezuelan government and several regional leaders have condemned the attacks, calling them a violation of international law.
The episode has drawn comparisons to 2010, when China froze ties with Norway after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to dissident Liu Xiaobo. Relations between Oslo and Beijing took six years to normalise.
