The Nobel Foundation has rescinded its invitations for representatives of Russia, Belarus, and Iran to attend this year’s Nobel Prize awards ceremony in Stockholm after the decision announced a day earlier “provoked strong reactions”.
Several Swedish lawmakers said on Friday that they would boycott this year’s event after the private foundation that administers the prestigious awards changed its position from a year earlier and invited representatives of the three countries to attend.
“The decision by the Nobel Foundation to invite all ambassadors to the Nobel Prize award ceremony, in accordance with previous practice, has provoked strong reactions,” the foundation said on Saturday in a press release.
“The basis for the decision is that we believe that it is important and right to reach out as widely as possible with the values and messages that the Nobel Prize stands for.”
Source from www.aljazeera.com