Norway's foreign ministry on Monday said Venezuela had closed its embassy in Oslo, without giving a reason, days after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
"We have been informed by the embassy of Venezuela that it is shutting its doors and no reason has been given," foreign ministry spokeswoman Cecilie Roang told AFP in an email. "It is regrettable. Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction," she added.
According to the Verdens Gang daily, which revealed the information, the embassy services were no longer answering the phone on Monday afternoon. Its numbers had been disconnected, AFP observed in the evening.
This announcement comes three days after Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. She has made the downfall of the Chavista regime in Venezuela her mission.
Machado had been prevented from running in the 2024 presidential election, in which the incumbent Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner despite opposition protests.
On Sunday, Maduro, without mentioning Machado's Nobel, referred to the 58-year-old laureate as a "demonic witch," a term often used by the government.
Machado was honored "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.