A court in Ankara has ruled that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Turkey will have to pay a 5,000-lira (approx. US$1,650) fine.

The MFA will pay this amount in compensation for losing the awards, including a Russian state award—the Medal of Pushkin, which were presented to famous Turkish historian İlber Ortaylı, reported Hürriyet daily of Turkey.

Ortaylı had handed his awards over to the Turkish MFA for registration. The ministry, however, failed to return them claiming that they were lost.

The historian’s two other awards, which he had received in Austria and in Italy, also were lost along with the aforesaid Russian medal.

The scholar had filed a lawsuit against the Turkish MFA, and demanded compensation for moral damage. And the court had granted his request, reported RIA Novosti news agency of Russia.