German orchestra accuses Turkey of pressure over Genocide projectApril 24, 2016 - 11:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A German orchestra said on Saturday, April 23 that Turkey attempted to pressure it and the EU to keep the term genocide out of a concert marking the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I, AFP reports. The controversy centers on texts that will be sung or spoken during the April 30 show in the eastern German city of Dresden, as well as the event's programme, which uses the word. "It's an infringement on freedom of expression," said Markus Rindt, director of the Dresdner Sinfoniker orchestra. Rindt said Turkey's delegation to the European Union demanded the European Commission withdraw 200,000 euros ($224,500) in funding for the concert. The commission ultimately maintained its financial support, but asked the orchestra to not mention genocide and has removed any mention of the event from its website, Rindt said. "We find all of this very questionable," he added. A commission spokeswoman confirmed that details of the concert had been pulled from the body's website. "Due to concerns raised regarding the wording used in the project description, the Commission temporarily withdrew it," the spokeswoman said. "A new project description will be republished in the coming days." The show was first put on in 2015 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and is performed by both Turks and Armenians. It was envisioned as an act of reconciliation by its creators. The name of the production is "Aghet", a word used in Armenian for the massacres. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). |