Khaberni - The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today, Monday, that Venezuela has closed its embassy in the capital, Oslo, without providing any explanation, three days after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The ministry's spokeswoman, Cecilie Røang -told the French Press Agency, "We were informed by the Venezuelan embassy about its intention to close its doors, without clarifying the reasons."
Røang added, "This is unfortunate. Despite having disagreements on several issues, Norway is keen to keep dialogue channels open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction."
According to the Norwegian newspaper "Verdens Gang," the embassy stopped responding to phone calls in the afternoon, while the French Press Agency noted in the evening that the embassy's phone numbers were no longer in service.
The Norwegian spokeswoman confirmed that "the Nobel Prize is awarded by a committee independent of the Norwegian government, and we refer any inquiries about it to the concerned committee."
In a comment yesterday, Sunday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro described opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as "the demonic witch," two days after she received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Venezuelan government often refers to the opposition leader as "La Sayona," a character in Venezuelan folklore who turned into an evil spirit seeking revenge.
Journalistic reports indicate the Venezuelan authorities previously banned Machado from running in the 2024 presidential elections, in which Maduro was declared the winner despite objections from the opposition.
The Nobel Committee awarded Machado, aged 58, the prize for "her struggle to achieve a peaceful and just transition from dictatorship to democracy" in Venezuela.
