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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his activities to instill peace both in Turkey and with its neighbors, Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe and also the chair of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Arminfo news agency says, referring to the Turkish sources.

Praising the Justice and Development Party (AK Party)-led democratic initiative process in Turkey, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe said Turkey is rushing headlong into being the strongest country in Europe.

“I admire his leadership,” Jagland said. Jagland also added that the government has bravely attacked problems in the country through the Kurdish and Alevi initiatives. Noting that Turkey had signed a protocol to normalize relations with Armenia and lifted visa requirements with many countries, Jagland marked Turkey as a candidate to be one of the strongest countries in Europe.

Jagland said he cannot understand those who object to Turkey’s EU membership, a country which has one of the strongest armies in Europe, is a bridge between the East and the West and has a unifying role in one of the most problematic regions in the world, the Middle East.

“It is appreciated what the government has done to curb the influence of the military over the political system.”

Saying that it is not correct to comment on whether or not Erdoğan deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, Jagland said that he had noted that he admires Erdogan’s leadership due to his role in mediating for peace in the region. “So you decide what I think on this,” Jagland said, and indirectly signaled that he wants Erdogan to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.