Henrik Liljegren

Carl Henrik Sihver Liljegren (born 17 April 1936) is a Swedish diplomat and author whose career spanned more than four decades. After earning a law degree from Stockholm University in 1960, he joined the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs as an attaché. He held early postings in Tokyo, Berlin, and Paris before advancing to senior roles in the Foreign Ministry. Liljegren served as ambassador to Turkey (1981–1985), East Germany (1985–1989), Belgium (1989–1992), and the United States (1993–1997). He was later consul general in Istanbul and returned as ambassador to Turkey, also accredited to Azerbaijan, until his retirement in 2001. An author and lifetime director of the Atlantic Council, Liljegren documented his experiences in From Tallinn to Turkey – as a Swede and Diplomat.

Early life Liljegren was born on 17 April 1936 in Tallinn, Estonia, the son of Edmund Sihver, a civil engineer, and his wife , née Kjellberg. His father was Baltic German and his mother became a well-known translator. As a four-year-old, he came out on the last boat to Sweden in 1940. In the early 1950s, he moved to the United States where his stepfather, Mårten Liljegren, was cultural attaché in Washington, D.C. Henrik Liljegren went to St. Albans School for a year before trying farm work one summer in Ohio as a sixteen-year-old. Back in Sweden, he went to before enrolling in university. Liljegren received a Candidate of Law degree from Stockholm University in 1960. He is the author of From Tallinn to Turkey - as a Swede and Diplomat and he is a lifetime director of the Atlantic Council.

Personal life In 1984, Liljegren married Nil Kirectepe (née Ilden), the daughter of minister Nevit Ilden and Murassa (née Tamtekin).