Russian invite to Nobel Prize ceremony sparks ire
- The organiser’s decision to include the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors this year drew anger in Ukraine, Sweden and elsewhere
- The Nobel Foundation insists the move was taken with a view to improving dialogue and democracy in an ‘increasingly divided’ world
The Nobel Foundation’s decision to invite ambassadors from Russia and Belarus to this year’s Nobel award ceremony sparked anger on Friday in Ukraine, Sweden and among opponents of the Minsk regime.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook that the Foundation should support efforts to isolate Russia and Belarus as “millions of Ukrainians suffer from an unprovoked war and the Russian regime is not punished for its crimes”.
In 2022, the Nobel Foundation, which organises the annual Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet in Stockholm, decided not to invite the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors because of the war in Ukraine, to the award ceremony in Stockholm.
They made the same decision regarding the Iranian envoy over the country’s crackdown on a wave of protests.
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2022 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to activists from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus
However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute – which organises the Norwegian ceremony – still invited all ambassadors to the Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo.
The Swedish foundation, however, said on Thursday it was returning to its previous practice and that “ambassadors from all countries that are diplomatically represented in Sweden and Norway, respectively, will be invited to the prize award ceremonies”.
