Senator Hartley Hosts Swedish Ambassador H.E. Urban Ahlin, Discusses Relationship Between U.S. & Sweden

Tuesday, state Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) hosted Swedish Ambassador H.E. Urban Ahlin and his wife Jenni Ahlin. Senator Hartley was also joined by state Senators Saud Anwar and Henri Martin, State Representative Steve Meskers and Representative Chris Aniskovich, CEO of World Affairs Council of CT Megan Torrey, and the President of CT World Affairs council Arthur House.

The Ambassador is in Connecticut during CT Democracy Center’s Civic Learning Week as he will join the World Affairs Council of CT for a fika and conversation on the future of democracy.

“It was an honor to welcome the Swedish Ambassador to my office,” said Sen. Hartley. “Our discussion highlighted the deep and enduring ties between Sweden and the United States, particularly in areas like trade, innovation, and education. It was inspiring to hear about Sweden’s forward-thinking approach to early childhood education, fiscal responsibility, and sustainability. I look forward to continuing our collaboration and strengthening the relationship between our two nations for years to come.”

In the meeting Senator Hartley and His Excellency Urban Ahlin discussed the longstanding relationship between Sweden and the U.S. The conversation focused on Sweden’s status as an industrialized nation known for its free trade principles, strong trade unions, and a service sector that is adaptive to change. The Ambassador highlighted Sweden’s progressive approach to early childhood education, where the system ensures a maximum fee paid by parents, making quality education accessible to all.

The discussion also touched upon Sweden’s fiscal policies, noting the country’s commitment to maintaining a mandated surplus in every government project. The Ambassador emphasized Sweden’s pension system, which is linked to life expectancy, providing long-term sustainability. Additionally, the meeting underscored Sweden’s role as an investor in the U.S., with Swedish companies directly employing a significant number of American workers, reinforcing the vital economic ties between the two nations.

His Excellency Urban Ahlin has served as the Ambassador of Sweden to the United States since September 2023. Ambassador Ahlin has also recently served as Sweden’s Ambassador to Canada from 2019-2023.

Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, he was a member of the Swedish Parliament, representing the Social Democratic Party. Following the 2014 parliamentary election, Ambassador Ahlin was elected Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Sveriges Riksdag, until 2018.

Ambassador Ahlin first became a member of Parliament in 1994. Since then, he has worked on foreign policy in numerous capacities. He was Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs between 2002 and 2006, and later Deputy Chair from 2006 to 2014.

He has also been a member of the War Delegation, the Swedish Defence Commission, and a member of the Committee on European Affairs. As part of his work for the Social Democratic Party, Ambassador Ahlin served as the party’s Foreign Policy Spokesperson and has also been a member of the party’s Executive Board.

In addition, Ambassador Ahlin is one of the founding members of the first pan-European think-tank, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), which was established in 2007. Ambassador Ahlin is a teacher and graduated from the University of Karlstad with a Master of Science. He is married and has two daughters.