Sweden is one of the countries studied by Kitabistan. We wanted to know Sweden's main reference point for stable development, the welfare state, science, technology and innovation.

"Lagom". Although this word does not have a precise equivalent in the Azerbaijani language, it can be translated as "just the right amount" or "neither too much nor too little". "Lagom" is a concept, a way of living, a way of thinking that describes the Swedish national character.

The Swedes have an ancient proverb: Lagom är bäst - Just the right amount is best.

The closest concept we have to this is the golden mean. The golden mean - that is, not doing injustice to others, taking as much as you need, or thinking about the environment you live in besides yourself. In order to understand the Swedes, the word "principle" should be added to this. This is how Swedes live...

Sweden has not been involved in any war for 200 years. It was able to maintain its neutrality even in the First and Second World Wars. In these two hundred years, it was the first country to enshrine the freedom of speech in its constitution. Sweden gave women the right to vote in 1921, ranks in the top five in the Democracy Index, and in the top three in the Global Innovation Index. Sweden is in the top 10 in the Freest Countries Index. The Swedish passport is the 3rd strongest passport in the world. Swedes can visit 124 countries without a visa.

While continuing to study Sweden, we decided to appeal to Mr Tobias Lorentzson, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Azerbaijan, to find answers to some of our questions about Sweden. He graciously responded positively to our interview offer and responded to Kitabistan's questions comprehensively with Swedish precision.

We present to you the interview with Mr Tobias Lorentzson, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Azerbaijan.

Full version here