In response to the decision of the Nobel Foundation to reinstate the practice of inviting ambassadors, including those from Russia and Belarus, to the Nobel Prize ceremony, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has issued a statement opposing this move.
"This decision (by the Nobel Foundation) is explained by their desire to directly convey their values even to states that oppose them. Conveying the values of humanism to Russia and Belarus is a Sisyphean task. Efforts that are unlikely to yield results. Most likely, on the day when the Russian ambassador will be sitting in a fine suit in the Stockholm Concert Hall, the Russian army will be committing further war crimes in Ukraine's occupied territories, and Russian missiles will be destroying more residential areas in Ukrainian cities. Under such circumstances, how will the Kremlin perceive the foundation's decision to return to 'business as usual'? It will only reinforce the sense of impunity and potentially lead to new crimes," said Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in a Facebook post.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleg Nikolenko, pointed out that last year, the Nobel Foundation did not invite Russian and Belarusian ambassadors in response to Russian aggression against Ukraine.
"And as long as it (the aggression) continues, as long as millions of Ukrainians suffer from an unprovoked war, and Russian leadership remains unpunished for their crimes, we call on the organizational committee to support international efforts to isolate Russia and Belarus," said the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Nobel Foundation had previously announced invitations to the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus, and Iran to the banquet in Stockholm on the occasion of the Nobel Prize awards. They explained that they seek to engage even those who do not share the values of the Nobel Prize.
