Ambassadors from Iran and Belarus can also take part; In 2022, countries were banned from the event due to the war in Ukraine
The ambassadors of Russia, Iran and Belarus to Sweden were invited by the Nobel Foundation to attend the awards ceremony after the countries were excluded from the 2022 edition due to the war in Ukraine. The event will take place on December 10th in Stockholm, the Swedish capital.
In a statement published on Thursday (August 30, 2023), the foundation explained that the Nobel Prize represents the opposite of polarization, populism and nationalism and that the organizers have therefore decided to invite all countries with diplomatic missions in Sweden to take part in the event. Here is the full statement (70 KB, in English).
“It is clear that the world is increasingly divided into spheres in which dialogue between people with different points of view is limited. To counter this trend, we are now extending our invitations to celebrate and understand the Nobel Prize and the importance of free science, free culture and free and peaceful societies,” said Vidar Helgesen, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation.
However, the invitation was not well received by members of the Swedish Parliament. In an interview with the country’s national radio, MP Karin Karlsbro criticized the decision, calling it “naive.”
Swedish Green Party leader Marta Stenevi said she would not attend the ceremony and that there was “nothing to celebrate with Russia.”
At the annual event in Sweden, five of the six Nobel Prizes are awarded with the exception of the Peace Prize, which is awarded at the ceremony in Oslo, Norway.