On October 3, German Unity Day, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will receive the prominent German Quadriga award for his contribution to the development of political and economic relations between Russia and Germany while occupying top government positions.
"We informed the Russian prime minister about the award before the board announced its decision and asked him whether he would take the opportunity to receive it personally," press secretary of the Quadriga Prize Organisational Committee, Stephan Clausen, told Izvestia. "Only then do we make an official statement for the press. So we are looking forward to Mr Putin's arrival in Berlin this autumn."
The other Quadriga Prize winners, in other nominations, have not yet been announced. This prize is given to several distinguished people each year and the nomination categories are different each time.
The discussion over the possible candidates takes some time, said Clausen. The first meeting took place last October. Putin's name appeared on the list in November. There were other names on the list, and the heated debate began in November. Clausen said almost no one objected to Putin, but that some members of the board made questioning comments.
Board Chairwoman Marie-Louise Weinberg said, "There are some problems in how the country operates under his leadership, but there is also considerable success." Corruption was mentioned as one of Russia's headaches. Cem Ozdemir, co-chairman of Germany's Green Party, a Turk by ethnic origin, criticized Putin more than the others. He told Izvestia that he abstained from voting and expressed his own opinion. Ozdemir acknowledged that Putin has developed the Russian economy, but he believes that the observance of human rights in Russia leaves much to be desired.
In the end, the board members agreed that the Quadriga award is not a popularity contest but is conferred on those who have made a significant contribution to history and Putin has done this.
The Quadriga Prize has been awarded since 2003. It has been presented to Helmut Kohl, Gerhard Schroeder, Viktor Yushchenko, Vaclav Havel and Mikhail Gorbachev. The board consists of 19 members including Serbian President Boris Tadic and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. The prize has no financial component, and the trophy itself is modeled after the sculpture that crowns the Brandenburg Gate – the Golden Quadriga. It is awarded in Berlin on German Unity Day.
Putin did not react to the news. "No comment," his Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia.
Alexander Vetrov and Kirill Zubkov