Venezuela shuts its embassy in Norway after Nobel surprise for opposition leader Machado

Venezuela is closing its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition figure María Corina Machado, now living in hiding, was announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

A spokesperson for Norway’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the closure to Reuters on Monday, saying Caracas provided no official reason.

“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,” the spokesperson said, noting that the Nobel Committee operates independently from the Norwegian government.

Machado, who’s been out of public view since 2024, received the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her “extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.” She dedicated the award to “United States President Donald Trump and the suffering people of Venezuela.”

Once one of Venezuela’s most prominent opposition voices, Machado was barred from contesting last year’s presidential election, the one that returned Nicolás Maduro to power amid accusations of fraud.

Now, as Caracas shuts down embassies in both Norway and Australia, it’s opening new ones in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe, countries it called “strategic allies in the anti-colonial fight and in resistance to hegemonic pressures.”

Neither Norway nor Australia currently maintains embassies in Venezuela, relying instead on missions in Colombia to handle consular affairs.

Both are close allies of the US, which under Trump has launched an aggressive campaign against Latin American drug cartels, including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. Since September, US forces have carried out at least four strikes on suspected trafficking boats in the Caribbean.

Maduro, meanwhile, accuses Washington of plotting regime change. He’s called for the United Nations Security Council to “take action” against what he described as acts of aggression.