YEREVAN. – Germany’s Steiger Award Committee canceled its award that was intended to be presented to Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

The Committee stated that it canceled this award for Erdogan because he did not attend the award’s presentation ceremony, Hurriyet daily of Turkey informs. The Turkish PM had canceled his trip to Germany when he had heard of the helicopter crash in Afghanistan, which had claimed the lives of twelve Turkish military servicemen.

But Hurriyet also brings attention to the fact that Steiger Award recipient, musician Lou Reed, likewise did not attend the presentation ceremony yet his award was not canceled.     

Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to receive the Steiger Award for Tolerance, but this raised a storm of protest among Germany’s Armenians, Kurds, Assyrians, and Alevis. And as a result, the Award’s category was changed to the Steiger Award for Turkish-German Friendship.

This year’s Steiger Award presentation ceremony was held on March 17, in Bochum.