Nobel basis withdraws invitation for Russia, Belarus and Iran representatives

Sep 02, 2023 at 6:20 PM
Nobel basis withdraws invitation for Russia, Belarus and Iran representatives

The Nobel Foundation has withdrawn its invitation to representatives from Russia, Belarus, and Iran to attend this 12 months’s Nobel Prize award ceremonies after the controversial choice “provoked strong reactions”.

Plenty of Swedish officers additionally determined to skip the ceremonies in Stockholm in protest after the muse had initially invited representatives from these international locations.

Some officers talked about Russia’s battle with Ukraine and Iran’s human rights points as causes for his or her choice to boycott.

Ukraine war latest

The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, stated he wouldn’t permit Russian representatives to attend the Nobel award ceremonies if he had a alternative.

In an announcement, the Nobel Foundation stated: “The basis for the decision is that we believe that it is important and right to reach out as widely as possible with the values and messages that the Nobel Prize stands for.”

The basis stated it acknowledged “the strong reactions in Sweden, which completely overshadowed this message” and selected to not invite “the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm”.

It added it might comply with its standard apply and invite all ambassadors to the ceremony in Oslo the place the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.

Read extra:
Nobel Foundation allows Russia, Iran and Belarus back into organisation
Ukraine and grain likely to feature in Putin-Erdogan talks

Previously, the Nobel Foundation stated it had prolonged invites to all international locations with diplomatic missions in Sweden and Norway to the occasion on 10 December since that “promotes opportunities to convey the important messages of the Nobel Prize to everyone”.

But the Nobel Foundation will nonetheless invite all ambassadors to the ceremony in Oslo the place they offer out the Nobel Peace Prize, it stated.

Russian and Belarusian envoys have been banned from attending the 2022 ceremonies and banquets, which happen yearly on 10 December, because of the struggle in Ukraine.

Iran was additionally barred on account of what the muse known as “the serious and escalating situation” within the nation.