Venezuela Closes Norway and Australia Embassies After Nobel Prize Goes to Opposition Leader
Venezuela is closing its embassies in Norway and Australia, just days after María Corina Machado, a longtime opposition leader and critic of President Nicolás Maduro, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
The Venezuelan government has not directly linked the embassy closures to the award, instead describing the move as part of a "strategic re-assignation of resources" and a restructuring of its foreign service. It said consular services for Venezuelans in Norway and Australia would now be handled by diplolmatic missions, with further details to come.
However, the timing is hard to ignore. The decision came just three days after the Nobel Committee announced that Machado would receive the 2025 Peace Prize for her "tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela."
Machado, who’s been in hiding since 2024 after being barred from running in Venezuela’s last election, said the award was a boost for her cause. Speaking to BBC Mundo, she called it "like an injection" for her movement and added: "It infuses energy, hope, strength on the Venezuelan people because we realise that we are not alone." She also dedicated the award to Donald Trump and to the "suffering people of Venezuela."
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was far from congratulatory. He referred to Machado as a "demonic witch", while his government moved quickly to pull its presence from the Norwegian capital.
Norway’s Foreign Ministry said Caracas gave no official reason for shutting down the embassy. A spokesperson called the move "regrettable" and stressed that "despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela." The ministry also clarified that the Nobel Prize is awarded independently of the Norwegian government.
The closures in Norway and Australia — both close allies of the United States — come amid rising tensions between Venezuela and Washington. Since September, the U.S. military has conducted multiple deadly strikes on boats allegedly smuggling drugs from Venezuela, prompting condemnation from Venezuela and some other countries in the region.
Maduro has accused the U.S. of plotting to force regime change and warned the United Nations that Venezuela is at risk of armed conflict. The U.S. Southern Command has recently launched a new counter-narcotics task force targeting Latin American trafficking networks.
