Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Austrian author Peter Handke for winning this year's Nobel Prize in Literature. Handke, 77, was award
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Austrian author Peter Handke for winning this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature.
Handke, 77, was awarded despite his open support to Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006 at the international tribunal in The Hague on trial for war crimes and genocide.
He claimed that the Muslim Bosniaks in Sarajevo had killed themselves, adding that he never believed that the Serbs had committed genocide in Srebrenica.
Erdoğan’s remarks on Nobel Prize not for Orhan Pamuk
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was not referring to Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006, with his “terrorist” remark, a top official said Tuesday.“Our president in no way refers to Orhan Pamuk in a speech in which he said ‘They had awarded a terrorist from Turkey’,” said Fahrettin Altun, Turkey’s communications director.Altun’s remarks came after Erdoğan’s speech at an event in the capital Ankara in reaction to awarding of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature to Peter Handke, an Austrian writer who is accused of denying the 1995 Bosnian genocide.Serbian president congratulates Handke over Nobel PrizeAltun said Erdoğan was referring to some names awarded or nominated for the Nobel Prize despite their anti-Turkey ideologies and terrorist inclinations.“Our president actually criticized European institutions’ awarding systems based on ideological approaches and stressed the hypocrisy in rewarding racism and terrorism,” Altun said.Turkish National Defense Ministry in a tweet said, “All ethical and humanitarian values, with peace being first and foremost, have been trampled under foot after the awarding of the Nobel Literature Prize to Peter Handke despite disapproval and objection from everyone with a conscience.”Handke is a supporter of Slobodan Milosevic who perpetrated the genocide against “our innocent Bosnian brothers,” the ministry said.Ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesman Omer Celik also followed suit and said the award was given on International Human Rights Day to a person who received the Order of the Serbian Knight from Milosevic.Bosnian Croat president says Srebrenica genocide was awardedCelik described the move as “a scandal” and “a big misfortune in terms of humanity and literature”.Handke is known to be a great admirer of former Serbian leader Milosevic, who died in 2006 while facing trial in The Hague for war crimes and genocide.”Stand up if you support the Serbs,” Handke wrote during the 1998-1999 Kosovo War.He claimed that the Muslim Bosniaks in Sarajevo had killed themselves, adding that he never believed that the Serbs had committed genocide in Srebrenica.Handke also visited Milosevic in prison and tried to testify in his favor.”I am here for Yugoslavia, for Serbia, for Slobodan Milosevic,” Handke said in a 2006 eulogy for Milosevic.In winning the prize, Handke will also receive 9 million Swedish kronor ($952,000) as well as a medal and a diploma.
“Please receive my most sincere congratulations. As a Nobel Prize laureate, you are inscribed among the immortals. This award is an award for your outstanding literary work, for your knowledge and creativity, but also for your unrivaled moral qualities, for courage and dignity to fight for your ideals of a prominent intellectual,” said Vucic on the presidential site.
Vucic also invited Handke to visit Serbia.
“Serbia regards you as a true friend and I will avail myself to the opportunity to say that we perceive your Nobel Prize as having been won by one of us. Now, along with Ivo Andric, we are celebrating yet another of our Nobel Prize winners,” said Vucic.
Several countries including Turkey boycotted the award ceremony.
Turkish, Albanian, Kosovar and Croatian envoys to Sweden did not attend the ceremony.
Bosnian Croat president says Srebrenica genocide was awarded
Today Srebrenica genocide was awarded, said Bosnian Croat President Zeljko Komsic on Tuesday referring to the decision to award this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature to Peter Handke, an Austrian author who denies the genocide.Komsic stressed that the genocide was rewarded in Sweden today.”Hate speech can be expected from someone who denies the genocide, but hatred from the award-giving side is extremely destructive,” said Komsic.He added that they will continue to fight for justice.”It is an act of hatred against the relatives of the victims,” said Komsic.Handke, 77, openly supports Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, who died in 2006 at the international tribunal in The Hague on trial for war crimes and genocide.He claimed that the Muslim Bosniaks in Sarajevo had killed themselves, adding that he never believed that the Serbs had committed genocide in Srebrenica.Several countries including Turkey boycotted the award ceremony.Turkish, Albanian, Kosovar and Croatian envoys to Sweden did not attend the ceremony.