Turkish President Invited to Armenian Genocide Concert

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been invited to attend a concert commemorating the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, Agos newspaper reports.

Dresden Symphony Orchestra will perform “Aghet”, which is composed on the occasion of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, at the German Consulate in Istanbul on November 13. After the concert, there will be an event organized by Turkish-Armenian Friendship Association.

The invitation sent to Erdogan says the concert seeks to establish cooperation among artists of the three countries. Also, the invitation said, the event is organized with the support of the German Foreign Ministry and the European Union.

Besides Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Minister of Culture Nabi Avci have also been invited to the event.

“Aghet” project caused a crisis among Germany, Turkey and EU. Turkey decided to leave the Creative Europe Program of the European Committee, because the program supports this project. German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his support to Aghet project, causing further disturbance in Turkish government.
Expressing his support to the project, Steinmeier stated: “The deportation of the Armenian people happened a century ago. However, Armenian and Turkish sides haven’t yet officially reconciled concerning the events of 1915-1916. With this project, three composers from Germany and Armenia echo the voice of the deceased and also bridge the gap between the present and a past full of hatred and violence. The project invites the audience to get out of the world of hatred. I am convinced that only the people who learn and acknowledge the dreams and traumas of the others can contribute to the bright future of this continent. And Aghet project is one of the most important milestones in this path.”

The orchestra said on April 23 that Turkey attempted to pressure it and the EU to keep the term genocide out of the same concert it ended up playing on April 30 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Genocide.