Excluded: Russia, Belarus, and Iran from Nobel Invitation

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【Summary】The Nobel Foundation has decided not to invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus, and Iran to the Nobel Prize awards ceremony in Stockholm this year. This decision comes after criticism and boycott threats from Swedish political parties. Last year, the foundation had initially excluded the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine but later reversed the decision.

FutureCar Staff Sep 02, 2023 4:58 PM PT

Excluded: Russia, Belarus, and Iran from Nobel Invitation

The Nobel Foundation has decided not to invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus, and Iran to attend the Nobel Prize awards ceremony in Stockholm this year. This decision comes after the foundation faced widespread criticism for initially planning to invite them.

Last year, the foundation had left out the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. However, the foundation had announced on Thursday that it would invite them, as well as Iran's ambassador, to this year's prize award ceremonies in December, stating that it aimed to include even those who did not share the values of the Nobel Prize.

However, this announcement led to the leaders of several Swedish political parties declaring that they would boycott the ceremonies. In response to the strong reactions in Sweden, the foundation released a statement on Saturday reiterating last year's exception to regular practice.

As a result, the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus, and Iran will not be invited to the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm. The winners of the Nobel prizes are typically announced in early October, and five out of the six prizes are awarded in Stockholm every year.

The nomination process for the Nobel prizes is kept secret for the next 50 years. The Nobel Peace Prize, on the other hand, is awarded in Oslo, where separate festivities are held.

This story was originally published by Reuters.