Russia, Belarus, and Iran excluded from Nobel Prize ceremony
Sweden's Nobel Prize Trust has excluded Russia, Belarus, and Iran from the annual Nobel Prize ceremony, Politico reports.
The decision was announced on Saturday, shortly after Russia declared Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov an "agent of foreign influence."
In a statement, the trust acknowledged that its policy of inviting ambassadors from all countries "in accordance with previous practice" had "provoked strong reactions."
Representatives of Sweden's major political parties had announced that they would boycott the event if Russian representatives were in attendance.
Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, warned that the initial decision would encourage Russia and strengthen the Kremlin's "sense of impunity."
Belarus has supported Russia's war against Ukraine, providing its territory as a launchpad for attacks, while Iran has supplied drones to Moscow to help replenish its depleted military arsenal.
The Russian Ministry of Justice declared Muratov, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, an "agent of foreign influence" for producing and disseminating information that could "create a negative attitude" towards the country.
The prominent journalist and former editor of the banned liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta had previously been praised by the Kremlin before the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Dozens of European politicians and lawmakers signed an open letter last year calling on the Nobel Foundation to consider awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
