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STOCKHOLM (AP) \u2014 The Nobel Foundation on Saturday withdrew its invitation for representatives of Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend this year\u2019s Nobel Prize award ceremonies after the decision announced a day earlier \u201cprovoked strong reactions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several Swedish lawmakers said Friday they would boycott this year\u2019s Nobel Prize award ceremonies in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, after the private foundation that administers the prestigious awards\u00a0changed its position from a year earlier<\/a>\u00a0and invited representatives of the three countries to attend, saying it \u201cpromotes opportunities to convey the important messages of the Nobel Prize to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the lawmakers cited\u00a0Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine\u00a0and the\u00a0crackdown on human rights in Iran\u00a0as reasons for their boycott. Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Friday called on the Swedish Nobel Foundation and the Norwegian Nobel Committee not to invite representatives of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko\u2019s \u201cillegitimate regime to any events.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday, she welcomed the Nobel Foundation\u2019s decision. She told The Associated Press that it was \u201ca clear sign of solidarity with the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how you show your commitment to the principles and values of Nobel,\u201d Tsikhanouskaya said.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko called the decision a \u201cvictory for humanism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to everyone who demanded that justice be restored,\u201d he wrote on Facebook, adding that \u201ca similar decision\u201d should be made regarding the attendance of Russian and Belarusian ambassadors at celebrations taking place in Norway following the ceremony in Sweden.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Belarusian court sentences Nobel laureate Bialiatski to 10 years in prison<\/a><\/p>\n

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who said Friday he wouldn\u2019t have allowed the three countries to participate in the award ceremonies, was also happy with the decision. He posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that \u201cthe many and strong reactions show that the whole of Sweden unambiguously stand on Ukraine\u2019s side against Russia\u2019s appalling war of aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n

The foundation said Saturday it recognized \u201cthe strong reactions in Sweden, which completely overshadowed this message\u201d and therefore it had decided not to invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the award ceremony in Stockholm.<\/p>\n

However, it said that it would follow its usual practice and invite all ambassadors to the ceremony in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s announcement was widely praised in Sweden by politicians. Even the Swedish Royal House reacted with spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren saying, as quoted by newspaper Aftonbladet, that \u201cwe see the change in the decision as positive\u201d. She added that King Carl XVI Gustaf was planning to hand out this year\u2019s Nobel awards at ceremonies in Stockholm \u201cas before.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Nobel prize winners will be announced in early October. The laureates are then invited to receive their awards at glittering prize ceremonies on Dec. 10, the anniversary of award founder Alfred Nobel\u2019s death in 1896.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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[ad_1] STOCKHOLM (AP) \u2014 The Nobel Foundation on Saturday withdrew its invitation for representatives of Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend this year\u2019s Nobel Prize award ceremonies after the decision announced a day earlier \u201cprovoked strong reactions.\u201d Several Swedish lawmakers said Friday they would boycott this year\u2019s Nobel Prize award ceremonies in the Swedish capital,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[39],"class_list":{"0":"post-4686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"yoast_head":"\n