The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Swedish: Kabinettssekreterare) is the highest position below the rank of cabinet minister at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs., Jan Knutsson is State Secretary.[1]
The title can alternatively be translated as Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs or Secretary General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
For historical reasons, this position has a different title in Swedish than the other State Secretaries of the Swedish government; the other posts are termed statssekreterare.
Before 1945, in a situation where the political head of the ministry often changed rapidly, the Secretary General represented the continuous lines in Sweden's foreign policy; and was considered a prestigious step in the diplomatic career.
From 1932, Sweden has experienced a great deal of stability on the post of Foreign Minister, and from 1945 and on the post as Cabinet Secretary has increasingly been politized and a subject of replacement in connection with shifts of Foreign Minister. The precise role of the Cabinet Secretary has changed from cabinet to cabinet, particularly due to different prime ministers' particular interest and involvement in the shaping of foreign policy.