# Örjan Berner

Carl Otto Örjan Berner (born 15 November 1937) is a Swedish diplomat. Berner began his diplomatic career in 1960 and held various positions, including serving at the Swedish UN delegation, SIPRI, and embassies in Beijing and Moscow. He later became ambassador to multiple countries, including Poland, India, and Russia, where he was also accredited to several former Soviet republics. His final postings were as ambassador to Bonn and Paris before retiring in 2001. After retirement, he remained active in international relations, serving on boards and advising organizations focused on Swedish-Russian cooperation.

## Early life

Berner was born on 15 November 1937 in Lund, Sweden, the son of Carl Berner, an agricultural engineer, and his wife Karin (née Sylwan). During his studies, in November 1958, Berner was awarded a scholarship from the Countess Anna Bogeman-Stackelberg Foundation (Grevinnan Anna Bogeman-Stackelbergs stiftelse), along with, among others, Pär Kettis [sv] and Henrik Liljegren. He earned a Candidate of Law degree from Lund University in 1960.

## Career

Berner was hired as an attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm in 1960. He served at the Swedish UN delegation in New York City from 1961 to 1964, as deputy director at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute from 1966 to 1967, and as first secretary at the Swedish embassy in Beijing from 1968 to 1971. He then held the same position at the Swedish embassy in Moscow from 1971 to 1974 before becoming a desk officer (departementssekreterare) at the political department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1976. From 1978 to 1983, he served as minister at the Swedish embassy in Paris.
In 1983–1984, he studied at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Berner was appointed ambassador to Warsaw (1984–1987) and New Delhi (1987–1989), where he was also accredited to Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan. He then served as ambassador to Moscow (1989–1994). During his posting in Moscow, he was also accredited to Mongolia (1989–1992), Armenia (1992–1994), Azerbaijan (1992–1994), Georgia (1992–1994), Belarus (1992–1994), Kazakhstan (1993–1994), Kyrgyzstan (1993–1994), Tajikistan (1993–1994), Turkmenistan (1993–1994), and Uzbekistan (1993–1994). He later served as ambassador to Bonn (1994–1996) and Paris (1996–2001) before retiring.
Berner is a board member of the Sverker Åström Foundation, which promotes Swedish-Russian relations. He has also been an advisor to East Capital [sv; uk; ro], secretary-general of Swedes Worldwide (Svenskar i Världen, SVIV), chairman of the Swedish branch of Transparency International, and chairman of several Swedish-Russian companies, including Vostok Oil Ltd (until 2004).

## Personal life

In May 1978, at the Stockholm City Court, Berner married embassy secretary Kristin Svensson (1948–1979), daughter of Gustav Svensson and Molka (née Mutas). Svensson passed away due to cancer less than a year later. In 1981, Berner wrote a book about his wife's battle with cancer.
Berner later remarried Benedicte Eyde (born 1955), the daughter of Sigurd Mörner-Eyde and Kate (née Schröder). They have three children.

## Awards and decorations

* H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size gold (silver-gilt) medal worn around the neck on the Order of the Seraphim ribbon (2011)