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NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

The nomination was proposed by Abid Raja, Norway’s former minister of culture and the deputy chair of the Liberal Party

STOCKHOLM, February 1. /TASS/. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Verdens Gang (VG) newspaper reported.

The nomination was proposed by Abid Raja, Norway’s former minister of culture and the deputy chair of the Liberal Party.

"Over the past year, no one did more for peace and democracy in Europe and worldwide than Jens Stoltenberg," he explained his choice in an interview to VG.

The Nobel Peace Prize, according to the will of Alfred Nobel, is awarded to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." According to the last will of the Swedish industrialist, inventor and manufacturer, this prize, unlike other awards established in accordance with his will, is awarded not in Stockholm, but in Oslo. Nobel wrote that the decision to award the prize should be made by a committee of five people appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. By tradition, the members of the committee are mostly retired Norwegian politicians and former party leaders.

Recently, the more than a hundred-year-old wording has been interpreted quite broadly, which is why the decisions of the committee are often criticized. Laureates of the award in recent years have included politicians, human rights activists, political activists and humanitarian organizations with merits in a variety of fields.

Traditionally, nominations for the prize can be made until January 31. After that, the right to nominate is reserved for committee members, who can exercise it at their first meeting, usually in February.

The full list of nominees is kept strictly confidential and may not be made public until after the 50th anniversary of the award. Each year, however, information about the nomination of certain candidates is leaked to the media by organizations or individuals with the right to nominate. These include former and current members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and its advisors, previous Peace Prize laureates, members of national parliaments, university professors specializing in history, philosophy, law or theology.

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