The board of the Nobel Foundation has chosen to repeat last year's exception to regular practice – that is, to not invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm. However, all ambassadors will still be invited to the ceremony in Oslo, for the following reasons:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes the government authorities in every country officially represented in Norway to have the opportunity to take part in Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony on 10 December, and to familiarise themselves with the Nobel Peace Prize laureates’ important messages.

The Nobel Peace Prize is a universal prize, and The Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to communicate what the prize stands for to a global audience. This applies not least to countries with an authoritarian regime which wage war against other countries or against their own population, and which our Peace Prize laureates oppose.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee will uphold its 70 year old tradition of inviting Ambassadors from all countries with representation in Norway.