The invitation of Russia’s ambassador to Sweden to attend the upcoming Nobel Prize ceremony sparked controversy on Friday, with Sweden’s prime minister openly expressing his disapproval, AFP reported.

“The Nobel Foundation, of course, invites everyone. But like many others, I was very surprised to learn that Russia had been invited,” Ulf Kristersson told AFP in a statement.

“I wouldn’t do it if I had to deal with the invitations to the award ceremony, and I understand that it worries people in Sweden and Ukraine,” he added.

The Nobel Foundation, which organizes the award ceremony and gala dinner in Stockholm, announced Thursday that it will invite all ambassadors from countries present in Sweden and Norway this year.

In 2022, the foundation decided not to invite the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus because of the war in Ukraine, as well as Iran because of the suppression of the protest movement. These three representatives are invited this year.

“It is clear that the world is increasingly fragmented and that the dialogue between different points of view is becoming more and more limited,” Vidar Helgesen, director of the foundation, said in a press release.

“To reverse this trend, we invite you to celebrate and understand the Nobel Prize and the importance of free science, free culture and free and peaceful societies,” he added.

A number of Swedish politicians, including leaders of environmentalists, centrists and the left, said they would boycott the event because of the Russian ambassador’s invitation.

The ceremony takes place every year in Stockholm on December 10, when prize winners in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics receive their awards from King Carl XVI Gustaf, followed by a gala dinner attended by around 1,200 guests.

On the same day, a separate awarding ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is held in Oslo. (photo: Dreamstime)