Days after María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuela has closed its embassy in Oslo without giving any explanation, Norway’s foreign ministry said. “We have been informed by the embassy of Venezuela that it is shutting its doors and no reason has been given,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Cecilie Roang to AFP. She added, “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.” Local media Verdens Gang reported that the embassy stopped answering calls on Monday afternoon, and AFP confirmed that its phone lines had been disconnected by the evening. Machado, 58, has long campaigned against the Chavista regime in Venezuela. She was barred from contesting the country’s 2024 presidential election, which Nicolás Maduro won amid opposition protests. The Nobel Committee cited 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,” according to Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the committee. Maduro, without mentioning the award, described Machado as a “demonic witch” during a speech marking Indigenous Resistance Day. “We want peace, and we will have peace, but peace with freedom, with sovereignty,” he said. Machado supports US military manoeuvres near Venezuelan waters and dedicated her Nobel prize “to the suffering people of Venezuela” and to US President Donald Trump, who was also nominated. In an interview on Fox News, she said Trump “deserves” the award for his role in resolving conflicts and bringing Venezuela “to the threshold of freedom.”
