International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies in Slovenia presented the award “World personality of the decade” to Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The award was given on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Institute and for a balanced policy in the Middle East and the Balkans. But they say the award will be handed to the Turkish Prime Minister later. The logic of the above-mentioned actions of this Institute does not fit in the real situation in the Middle East – hardly can Turkey be counted among the countries that really seek peace in the Middle East and the Balkans. Recent developments related to Syria tell of the opposite. Creation of a buffer zone, calling for al-Assad to “leave in a friendly way” and the ​​never-ending war with the Kurds have little to speak of the peacefulness of Ankara. Not to mention Israel against which Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is ready to wage war, should Jerusalem start bombing Iran. “We will not accept a military strike against Tehran, with whom we have some disagreements over Syria. If Iran is bombed, Turkey will not remain indifferent,” Davutoglu said. In his turn, Turkish President Erdogan said that in case of necessity, Turkey could resume military operation in northern Iraq to kill terrorists. “Earlier, Turkey already conducted an operation in northern Iraq. At present, we are monitoring the situation and if necessary we may resume the operation in northern Iraq,” Erdogan said. Currently the Turkish army is fighting on its own territory: more than two dozen Kurdish rebels were killed in Sirnak and Bitlis last week. Moreover, 15 militants killed in Bitlis were women.

As for the other prize intended for Erdogan – German Steiger Awards awarded for tolerance – a decision was finally made not to award it. Wording of the refusal was quite evasive and consistent with the best European traditions: the Prime Minister did not attend the ceremony, and therefore he was refused the award. But in fact, the refusal of the organizing committee was conditioned by protests. Armenians, Kurds, Assyrians and Alawites staged a protest in Bochum against this decision of the organizing committee. And a day before the ceremony of awards the Steiger Awards changed the nomination. In accordance with the change, Erdogan was to be presented an award on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Turkish-German friendship, but in the end he lost it, too.

As for tolerance, no one in Turkey has ever “suffered” of it, especially in regard to minorities, Armenians and Greeks in particular. At a meeting with the U.S. President in Seoul, at the summit on nuclear security, Erdogan could not resist and chided Obama for the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Armenian Genocide resolution introduced into the U.S. Senate. “I reminded Obama that during the past two decades the OSCE Minsk Group has not succeeded in settling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And since the issue has reached a deadlock, I suggested that we talk to Azeris and Minsk Group co-chairing France, Russia and the United States to try to persuade Armenia, so that they can solve the issue,” Erdogan was quoted as saying in the Turkish Sabah newspaper. The trouble with Ankara is that she has not yet realized that nothing on the Karabakh issue depends on her, and the best thing she can do is just not to interfere.

However, the Turkish premier called on Obama “not to mistake U.S. senators, lawmakers and politicians for historians.” “I told Obama that we are tired. Every year in April we face the same problem, whether Republicans come [to power] or Democrats, the issue remains the same. Bills should not appear in Congress every year,” Erdogan said. He apparently forgot for a moment that the U.S. president cannot sign a decree on preventing the legislature from introducing or not introducing this or that resolution into the Congress. But Erdogan is confident that he warned Obama about the Armenian issue and the president of the United States in his April 24 address to the Armenian community will say “Metz Yeghern”. However, in vain Turkey hopes that resolutions in the U.S. Congress won’t be adopted every year. All in vain...