STOCKHOLM – The Nobel Foundation has just announced that it will withdraw the invitation to the Russian, Iranian and Belarusian ambassadors to receive the Nobel Prize, according to Swedish public television Svt. reported.
In a statement, the Nobel Foundation reported that the “strong reactions in Sweden” had led it to change its decision: “The Nobel Foundation Board has decided to repeat the exception to usual practice last year and include Russia, Belarus and Iran not to be invited to the ceremony.” in Stockholm”. However, all ambassadors are invited to the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo.
Before the foundation’s about-face, several Swedish politicians criticized the decision and announced that they did not want to attend the ceremony if the Russian ambassador was present. Even King Carl XVI. Gustaf of Sweden said he was “surprised” by the decision to invite the Moscow ambassador and, according to the royal family’s press office, reserved the right to “consider” whether or not to attend ceremony in December. The pressure led to a change in the guest list in Stockholm, but as previously mentioned, all ambassadors will be invited to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo.
Ukraine called the Nobel Committee’s decision a “victory for humanism.” Kiev Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko expressed hope on Facebook that a “similar decision” would be made on the occasion of the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo. For the time being, the committee is sticking to the unrestricted invitation to award the Nobel Peace Prize.
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