Venezuela closes Norway embassy after Machado awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuela has closed its embassy in Oslo without explanation, Norway's Foreign Ministry announced Monday, a move confirmed by Caracas that comes just three days after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Cecilie Roang, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an email that the Venezuelan embassy had informed them of the closure but provided no reasons.

“It is regrettable,” Roang said.

“Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction.”

In a separate statement, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said it had closed the embassy in Oslo as part of a restructuring of its diplomatic missions abroad.

The announcement follows the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo to Machado, who has made it her primary political mission to overturn the legacy of former President Hugo Chávez.

Machado was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election, which was declared a victory for President Nicolás Maduro despite objections from the opposition.

On Sunday, Maduro referred to the 58-year-old laureate as a "demonic witch" without mentioning the award, a term the regime frequently uses against its opponents.

Ruang stressed that the "Nobel Prize is independent of the Norwegian government, and we refer questions regarding it to the Nobel Committee."

The committee awarded the prize to Machado "in recognition of her relentless work for the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and her struggle for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

Diplomatic Reorganization

In its statement, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said it also closed its embassy in Australia. At the same time, it opened diplomatic missions in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso. The ministry referred to these two African nations as Caracas’ "strategic partners in the fight against hegemonic pressures."

Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize win to the "tortured Venezuelan people" and thanked President Donald Trump for his "decisive support for our cause."

On Monday night, Machado called on Colombian authorities to investigate an attack in Bogotá where two Venezuelan activists were shot and wounded, accusing the Maduro regime of being behind the incident. Colombian police said Yendri Velásquez and Luis Alejandro Picchi were getting on a bus when they were shot.