The article (in Russian) announces that I am the winner of the (first ever) 1993 Osman Mirzayev Prize “…for breaking the informational blockade against Azerbaijan….” and thus the recipient of 10,000 Roubles (then about the price of a new Lada car). Problem was, no one bothered to tell me until about a month ago. I brought the subject up as almost a joke when winging through Baku a week ago and the next thing I knew I was asked to sign for $10K in cash to make amends. While I certainly welcomed the cash, the gesture almost brought tears to my cynical eyes.
—Thomas Goltz, March 27, 2018