CARACAS, OSLO - Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has confirmed that she will travel to Oslo, Norway, to personally receive the award on December 10, according to a statement released Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

“She has made it clear that she will come,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, head of the Nobel Committee, in an interview with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. “At the same time, it must be emphasized that this is a dangerous trip because the Venezuelan regime has said it wants to get rid of her.”

Frydnes expressed hope that Machado’s safety will be guaranteed throughout her journey and that she will be able to “return to Venezuela and continue her important work” after the ceremony.

In an interview last October with the Norwegian daily Dagens Næringsliv, Machado stated that she could only travel to Norway if Venezuela were free, explaining that as long as Nicolás Maduro remains in power, her security cannot be ensured. “I cannot leave the place where I am hiding because there are direct threats against my life,” she said at the time.

According to the official Nobel Peace Prize program, released earlier this month, Machado is also expected to attend the traditional press conference for the Peace Prize winner at the Nobel Institute in Oslo on December 9, the day before the formal award ceremony.