Norway denounced as “regrettable” the Maduro regime’s decision to close its embassy in Oslo, days after opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The government of Norway expressed deep concern over Venezuela’s “unjustified” closure of its embassy in Oslo, a move announced by Nicolás Maduro’s regime just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
Cecilie Roang, spokesperson for Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Verdens Gang newspaper that the decision was “regrettable,” adding that Norway remains “open to dialogue with Caracas” despite rising diplomatic tensions. “
Despite our differences, Norway will continue to seek communication channels with Venezuela,” Roang said in an email to the local outlet.
The embassy’s closure came alongside the shutdown of Venezuela’s mission in Australia and the opening of new embassies in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso. According to the Maduro administration, the move is part of a “strategic reallocation of resources” aimed at strengthening alliances with the “Global South.”
Analysts, however, linked the action to the global attention surrounding Machado’s Nobel win. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised María Corina Machado for her “tireless advocacy of democratic rights for the Venezuelan people and her struggle for a peaceful, just transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Speaking to Dagens Naeringsliv on Monday, Machado said she would only be able to travel to Oslo to receive the award “if Maduro is no longer in power.” “As long as he remains in control, I cannot leave the place where I’m hiding — there are direct threats to my life,” she explained, adding that she has lived in hiding since early this year.
“Living day by day has become the norm, and the Venezuelan people are doing everything they can for their future,” Machado added.
Maduro’s government condemned the Nobel award as a “Western political operation,” while opposition leaders hailed it as a “moral victory” and proof that the international community continues to support the Venezuelan democratic cause.
The Nobel Committee, based in Norway, emphasized that Machado’s recognition represents “the democratic hope of millions of Venezuelans seeking to reclaim their fundamental freedoms.”
