Axel Edelstam

Ernst Axel Edelstam (21 July 1924 – 17 August 2012) was a Swedish diplomat. He served in the foreign service for almost 40 years, including as ambassador to many countries.

Early life Edelstam was born on 21 July 1924 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of the permanent undersecretary and chamberlain and Hilma (née Dickinson). He was the brother of diplomat Harald Edelstam. He passed studentexamen in 1944 and received a Candidate of Law degree in 1949 before becoming an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs the same year.

He was acting head of the disarmament delegation in Geneva in 1967 and held the position of ambassador from 1970. Edelstam was a foreign affairs councillor (Utrikdesråd) and acting head of the political department at the Foreign Ministry from 1972 to 1975 and was a member of the negotiating group from 1975 to 1976. He was ambassador in Cairo from 1976 to 1981 with concurrent accreditation to Nicosia (1976–1981), Khartoum (1976–1981), and Mogadishu (1980–1981). He was then ambassador in Bangkok, Vientiane, and Singapore from 1981 to 1983, and then in New Delhi from 1983 to 1987 with concurrent accreditation to Colombo, Kathmandu, and Thimphu (1985–1987). Edelstam's final post as ambassador was in Oslo from 1987 to 1989.

Edelstam was head of the Swedish Road Administration's international secretariat from 1989 to 1994.

Personal life In 1947, Edelstam married Gloria Horstmann. He was interred on 3 September 2012 in the family grave at in Brännkyrka in southern Stockholm.

Awards and decorations