The Nobel Foundation, responsible for delivering the awards, announced today that it will back down and not invite the Russian ambassador to the award ceremonies this year, after criticism generated by its initial decision by the Government and the opposition of Sweden.
“The decision to invite all the ambassadors to the delivery ceremony, in accordance with previous practice, provoked strong reactions,” the foundation admitted in a statement posted on its website, after the boycott called by the country’s opposition forces. Scandinavian, who had announced that they would not attend the events in solidarity with Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion that began more than 18 months ago.
“We recognize these strong reactions,” said the organization in charge of awarding the prizes (except for the Nobel Peace Prize that is awarded in Norway) and, in this sense, announced that in 2023 “the exception of last year will be repeated, that is, not to invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize-giving ceremony in Stockholm,” reported the Europa Press news agency.
Yesterday, the executive director of the foundation, Vidar Helgesen, had defended the assistance of these now excluded diplomatic representatives, understanding that “dialogue with those who think differently has been reduced” in a “world increasingly divided into spheres.”
Helgesen had said in this context that the exclusion last year due to the war in Ukraine, which also affected the ambassador of Iran and Belarus, had been an exception and that now it was returning to the usual practice.
But these arguments to justify the gesture in an “increasingly polarized” world did not convince Sweden’s main parties.
“The Nobel Foundation makes decisions independently. As for me, I would not invite Russia to host the ceremony,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was quoted as saying by local media Aftonbladet.
The premier pointed out that for the moment he did not make the decision whether or not to be present at the awards ceremony, something that the opposition forces have already done by assuring that they will not participate.
The leader of the Swedish Center Party, Muharrem Demirok, declared that he will not be able to attend that activity in Stockholm together with the Russian ambassador.
In tune, the head of the Swedish Left Party, Nooshi Dadgostar, also reported that he would not be at the ceremony, while the Environmental Party of the Greens said it held a similar position.
Despite these reactions, the Stockholm-based foundation confirmed today that its initial decision was due to the fact that it is “important and appropriate” to spread “the values and messages defended by the Nobel Prize as widely as possible”, before recalling the “clear political message” in 2022 with the delivery of the Nobel Peace Prize to “defenders of Human Rights from Russia and Belarus and to Ukrainians who work documenting Russian war crimes.”
Source: Ambito
