Russia, Belarus and Iran to not attend this yr’s Nobel Prize award ceremonies because the Nobel Foundation has withdrawn its invitation following “robust reactions” from

the Swedish lawmakers.

Earlier right now, a number of Swedish lawmakers stated they’d boycott this yr’s Nobel Prize award ceremonies in Stockholm, after the non-public basis that administers the distinguished awards modified its place from a yr earlier and invited representatives of the three international locations to attend, saying it “promotes alternatives to convey the essential messages of the Nobel Prize to everybody.”

Some of the lawmakers cited Russia’s battle on Ukraine and the crackdown on human rights in Iran as causes for his or her boycott.

Belarusian opposition determine Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya referred to as on the Swedish Nobel Foundation and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to not invite representatives of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s “illegitimate regime to any occasions.”

On Saturday, she welcomed the Nobel Foundation’s determination. She instructed The Associated Press that it was “a transparent signal of solidarity with the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples.”

“This is the way you present your dedication to the ideas and values of Nobel,” Tsikhanouskaya stated.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who stated Friday he wouldn’t have allowed the three international locations to take part within the award ceremonies, was additionally proud of the choice. He posted on social media platform X, previously generally known as Twitter, that “the various and robust reactions present that the entire of Sweden unambiguously stand on Ukraine’s facet in opposition to Russia’s appalling battle of aggression.

The basis stated Saturday it acknowledged “the robust reactions in Sweden, which fully overshadowed this message” and due to this fact it had determined to not invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the award ceremony in Stockholm.

However, it stated that it could observe its typical observe and invite all ambassadors to the ceremony within the Norwegian capital, Oslo, the place the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.

Saturday’s announcement was extensively praised in Sweden by politicians.

Even the Swedish Royal House reacted with spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren saying, as quoted by newspaper Aftonbladet, that “we see the change within the determination as optimistic”. She added that King Carl XVI Gustaf was planning to hand out this year’s Nobel awards at ceremonies in Stockholm “as before.”

This yr’s Nobel prize winners might be introduced in early October. The laureates are then invited to obtain their awards at glittering prize ceremonies on Dec. 10, the anniversary of award founder Alfred Nobel’s dying in 1896.