Sweden’s ambassador to the U.S., Bjorn Lyrvall visited Atlanta on June 6 to celebrate Swedish National Day that harkens back to the election of King Gustav Vasa, who kicked the Danes out of Stockholm in 1523 and united the country’s provinces.
But it’s unlikely that the ambassador was looking backwards throughout the day’s activities including visits to the plant of the Swedish family-owned concrete maker, Thomas Concrete Inc., his luncheon presentation at the company’s headquarters on Cumberland Parkway, a meeting with state officials at the Georgia Department of Economic Development and then the national day festivities at Magnolia Hall in Midtown.
“Swedish-U.S. relations are the best they have ever been,” he said several times throughout the day, but the reinforcement of these historic ties comes at a time of looming concerns highlighted by a meeting scheduled for the very next day, June 7, in Washington with Peter Hultqvist, his minister of defense and Jim Townsend, assistant secretary of Defense, European and NATO policy at the the U.S. Defense Department.
During an interview with Global Atlanta, Mr. Lyrvall reviewed the issues with which his government is principally occupied these days: the crisis that has brought into Sweden tens of thousands of refugees, Russia’s belligerence that has seeped its way from Eastern Europe into regions of the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean, terrorist incidents that have hit Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen, concerns about resistance to acceptance of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the impacts of climate change and even Swedes who have joined ISIS.
The Obama administration clearly recognizes these challenges, he said, and promises U.S. collaboration in dealing with them.
On trade:
The ambassador said that Sweden fully supports the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and free trade. “We are keen about free trade for many reasons,” he added in view that half of Sweden’s gross national product is dependent on foreign trade. He also cited that the TTIP would bolster participating economies as well as strengthen transatlantic relations. “There are geopolitical reasons,” he added such as setting global standards.
Support for free trade extends throughout the country, he said, including the trade unions. “We realize that 99.8 percent of the world’s consumers are outside of Sweden.”
Additionally, he said that for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union would be a mistake, creating more problems for the EU and headaches such as reworking its regulations at a time when it faces other problems. A “Brexit” also would roil Scotland, he predicted, which might start promoting its exit from the U.K. once again.
On refugees:
Calling Sweden an “open society” despite its recent restrictions on taking in refugees, he said that over the years it has been Europe’s most welcoming nation, recalling that when the war was going on in Bosnia Sweden accepted 80-90,000 refugees.
Last year, Sweden took in more than 160,000 refugees. the greatest number per capita of any European country. “It was very challenging,” he added, and comparable to a hypothetical 6 million entering the United States.
He referred specifically to the city of Sodertalje, near Stockholm which has a population of 65,000 where now half of the cities residents are refugees or immigrants from Syria and Iraq.
On security:
Without specifically mentioning a variety of hostile Russian incidents such as the flyover of a U.S. destroyer in the Baltic Sea, or the Russian foreign minister’s warning that if Sweden joined NATO it would be forced to augment its forces in the West, the ambassador made it clear that it sought closer military alliances with the U.S.
The future of the Arctic also is a grave concern, he said. Climate change is opening up routes in the area that is critical for the earth’s survival and of the countries with direct access only Russia has refused to sign agreements guaranteeing the area’s welfare.
While global issues obviously are constantly on his mind, he said that the main purpose of his visit to Atlanta was to become acquainted with the local Swedish residents and receive feedback from Swedish businesspeople.
During the luncheon at the Thomas Concrete headquarters he heard from the leaders of several Swedish companies of their success operating in the U.S., but how they had to remain service oriented and locally involved.
Notably a software developer criticized EU regulations making it more difficult to conduct business in Europe than in Brazil. Others said that they felt the EU was at a low point as a unified entity and wondered whether it would be able to hold together in view of its many challenges.
They added that the U.S., the Southeast and Georgia were all positive venues for conducting business, but that international companies had to be very focused locally to succeed. Frederik Hoegland, director of finance and business development at Thomas Concrete and the host of the luncheon, underscored the importance of a local focus and superior service.
Following his visit with the state officials, Mr. Lyrvall met in the evening with some 150 members of the Swedish community at Magnolia Hall and reiterated his sentiment that U.S. Swedish relations were at an all time high.
Urika Lindstrom, an independent pop artist and co-founder of Brave Ocean Studios, performed for the attendees by singing U.S. and Swedish musical selections.
To learn more about the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, click here.
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