Bengt Odhner

Bengt Arne Odhner (10 August 1918 – 20 November 1990) was a Swedish diplomat whose career spanned from 1945 to 1984. After early postings in Tehran and Baghdad, he held key roles at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including serving as secretary to the Foreign Minister and participating in international trade negotiations. He served at embassies in Washington, D.C., and Warsaw, and led the Ministry’s Division for International Assistance Affairs. Notably, he headed trade and industry delegations to East Africa and other special missions to China, North Yemen, Algeria, and Indonesia. Odhner was appointed ambassador to Iraq (1964–1969), with concurrent accreditation to Kuwait, and chaired the Swedish–Iranian Joint Commission in 1967. He later served as ambassador to Pakistan (1969–1973), Iran and Afghanistan (1973–1978), and Tunisia (1983–1984). Following his diplomatic career, he chaired the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul from 1985 to 1987. Throughout his life, Odhner maintained a deep passion for the Orient and Mediterranean cultures, especially Turkey.

Early life Odhner was born on 10 August 1918 in in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of Professor Nils Hjalmar Odhner and his wife Signhild (née Hagström). He graduated from secondary school in Stockholm in 1937 and served at the Swedish Consulate General in Genoa in 1938, becoming a clerk there in 1941. In 1943 he was posted to the Swedish Consulate in Milan, and in 1944 earned a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Genoa in Italy.

Career Odhner began his diplomatic career in 1945 as an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm. From 1947 to 1950 he served in Tehran and Baghdad, followed by a posting as second secretary at the Foreign Ministry from 1950 to 1955.

Personal life Odhner was unmarried. He was interred on 26 April 1991 at Danderyd Cemetery.

Awards and decorations

Swedish Red Cross Silver Medal