State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)
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The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, in Swedish kabinettssekreterare, sometimes translated as Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs or Secretary General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is the highest position below the rank of cabinet minister.
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 Mininster. 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.
Frank Belfrage is currently State Secretary. Notable predecessors include:
- Dag Hammarskjöld
- Sverker Åström
- Pierre Schori
- Erik Boheman
- Christian Günther
- Karl Ivan Westman
- Lars-Åke Nilsson
- Leif Leifland
- Jan Eliasson
- Hans Dahlgren