Nobel Foundation waives invitation to Russian ambassador to award ceremony

2023-09-02 14:15:03

The Nobel Foundation announcedSaturday, September 2, that she was giving up inviting the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus to this year’s Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, after the anger aroused by her invitation.

“We have chosen to reiterate last year’s exceptional measure, that is to say not to invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm”, she wrote in a press release. Regarding Iran, the foundation’s decision was made due to the crackdown on protests in the country.

The Swedish foundation announced on Thursday that it was reverting to its previous practice of inviting ambassadors from all countries represented in Sweden, which had sparked a wave of anger.

She explained on Saturday that her initial decision was based on the belief “that it is important and right to disseminate as widely as possible the values ​​and messages represented by the Nobel Prize”. However, the strong reactions it has elicited “completely overshadowed this message”. The spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, had thus denounced a decision giving rise to “a heightened sense of impunity” of Russian power.

Boycott threats

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Friday that he disagreed with the Foundation’s decision, saying he understood “that it bothers a lot of people in Sweden and Ukraine”.

Several leading Swedish politicians, including the leaders of the Center Party, the Greens, the Left Party and the Liberals, had threatened to boycott the event if the Russian ambassador was present.

The ceremony takes place every year in Stockholm on December 10, the day when the winners of the prizes in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics receive their prizes from the hands of King Carl XVI Gustaf, followed by a gala dinner. bringing together some 1,200 guests.

A separate ceremony is held in Oslo on the same day for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Last year, the Norwegian Nobel Institute invited all the ambassadors present in Norway to the ceremony, and it plans to do the same this year.

The World with AFP