Greek pop star Despina Vandi has declined to perform on a stage in Turkey decorated with the national flag and a portrait of the country’s founding father, according to Turkish media reports.
The 54-year-old singer was scheduled to perform at a charity concert in Cesme, a Turkish resort town west of Izmir, on Wednesday night. She refused to appear after authorities denied her request to remove the flag and poster of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
In an Instagram post, Vandi expressed her respect for the audience who “honoured me with their presence at my concert.” However, she criticised the organisers, the Turkish Education Foundation, for turning the event from a concert into “a prohibited and non-agreed political connotation.”
“My participation in the said event is not possible,” she wrote.
The audience, which had filled Cesme’s open-air amphitheatre, expressed their disappointment with boos when the reason for her decision was announced, according to Sozcu newspaper.
This incident comes at a time when Turkish and Greek leaders are working to improve their strained relations.
Source: AP News.
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