An obscure academy has nominated President Vladimir Putin for the 2014 Nobel Prize in light of his involvement in the attempts to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Putin's "candidacy is linked first and foremost to his participation in resolving the Syrian crisis," said Beslan Kobakhiya, vice-rector of the International Academy of Unity of Nations of the World.
After Putin's now infamous article in The New York Times in early September, which cautioned against a U.S. military strike in Syria and criticized the American concept of exceptionalism, many pundits praised him as a peacemaker in the conflict.
Some commentators at the 10th anniversary session of? the Valdai Discussion Club on Sept. 19 even said he had single-handedly averted a military strike on Syria.
In addition, Kobakhiya said Putin had brought peace in other conflicts as well.
“We know very well what peacemaking role he played in volatile regions, especially in Beslan and South Ossetia,” he said, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.
Kobakhiya said that giving Putin the award could restore credibility to the Nobel Prize, which he claims was shaken after it was presented to certain recipients who didn't deserve it. His comments could be seen as a reference to U.S. President Barack Obama winning the prize in 2009 for strengthening international diplomacy.
The president's nomination had not yet been discussed with him, Kobakhiya said, adding that “we didn't agree on this initiative with anybody. The presidential administration will find out about it from the press.”
He said three people apart from him had signed the nomination: Georgy Trapeznikov, the academy's rector, Taras Shamba, the academy's vice president, and Iosif Kobzon, a State Duma deputy
The bid has been received by the Nobel committee, the academy's rector Georgy Trapeznikov said.
Putin was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in September by the head of the All-Russian Education Fund, Sergei Komkov.