In the middle of Baghdad stands a symbol of the grim atmosphere between Sweden and Iraq.
A completely destroyed embassy, which no one wants to pay for the repair.
– It’s a shame, we never thought Sweden would act like this. Nobody will want to work with them again, says one of the property owners Hassan Salem.
The walls are burnt black, electric cables melted, there are angry slogans on the roads and the windows are broken. The former Swedish embassy in Baghdad is completely destroyed after the storming in July last year. Then hundreds of angry protesters threw Molotov cocktails and tore down everything there was. The embassy’s staff were evacuated and have been relocated to Stockholm.
Since then, the diplomatic relationship between Iraq and Sweden has been grim.
Koran burnings in Sweden that an Iraqi citizen is partly behind.
The Swedish embassy in Iraq stormed.
Swedish gang members shoot each other in the open street in Iraq.
Three Swedish citizens are sentenced to death.
“We cannot repair this destruction quickly”
The atmosphere is tense to say the least between Sweden and Iraq and there is another minor conflict in the conflict. Who will replace the destruction of the embassy? TV4 meets one of the property owners who shows around the inside of the building.
– At the beginning of the riot, we had no idea what was happening. As you know Iraq, the news cannot describe everything that is happening. When the attack occurred, the internet was shut down, both satellite and the regular network. After that, when we came here after the evacuation, we were surprised that it looked like this. We cannot repair this destruction quickly, says Hassan Salem.
“We are shocked”
They believe that Sweden is obliged to pay for the destruction, but when they contacted them, they received the answer that they will not receive anything.
– We are shocked. We always thought that Sweden stands for the right things, but this is something completely different. It’s a shame and if they don’t do the right thing, no one will want to cooperate with Sweden anymore, he says.
Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not want to appear for an interview, but emails:
“The storming of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in the summer of 2023 led to significant damage to the Swedish chancellery building and to the fact that the embassy had to be relocated to Stockholm. Sweden considers that Iraq’s reluctance to act in connection with these events constitutes a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. In the long term, Sweden wishes to resume diplomatic presence in Baghdad when the conditions for this exist. Pending this, cooperation with Iraq continues on several different levels.”
No plans to reimburse for the renovation
But Iraq has no plans to compensate for the renovation. What remains is a building that reminds us that the image of Sweden has changed.
– If we are not compensated, we will go to court. We will sue them here in Iraq and in Brussels. There will be a trial, says Hassan Salem.