Trump calls Swedish legislator to thank him for Nobel Peace Prize nomination

A Swedish legislator who nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East has said he received a phone call of thanks from the US president.

Magnus Jacobsson, a member of Sweden’s Parliament for the Christian Democrats, wrote on Twitter that he was “on my way to the stable with my daughter” when he got the call.

“We had a good conversation about peace in the Middle East and the Balkans. I wish the President good luck with the peace processes,” Mr Jacobsson wrote.

I was on my way to the stable with my daughter, when President @realDonaldTrump called and thanked me for the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. We had a good conversation about peace in the Middle East and the Balkans. I wish the President good luck with the peace processes. pic.twitter.com/7CJynMSZAc

— Magnus Jacobsson (@magnusjacobsson) September 22, 2020

Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed last month to a deal normalising relations that was signed at the White House on September 15.

Earlier this month, Mr Jacobsson also nominated the governments of the US, Kosovo and Serbia for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to secure a peace agreement between the two former Balkan war foes.

Serbian President Aleksander Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti signed an economic normalisation deal at the White House last week.

Nobel nominations can be made by national legislators, heads of state and certain international institutions. In 2020, the committee received 318 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize – 211 individuals and 107 organisations. The winner will be announced on October 9.

The process of considering candidates and awarding the Nobel Peace Prize is done in Norway, in contrast to the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in Sweden.