The cancellation of the concert dedicated to the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul caused uproar and raised a wave of criticism in Germany. According to the Turkish service of Deutsche Welle, head of the parliamentary faction of The Lefts Party Sarah Vagenknecht has announced that the federal government kneeled before President of Turkey Erdogan once again with that decision.

Describing the cancellation by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the concert entitled “Aghet” (Catastrophe) as a shameful act, Vagenknecht asked a rhetorical question: “Is the policy led by the federal government really led by Ankara?”

Foreign policy speaker of The Green Party Omid Nuripur noted that the German government, which has consumed relations with Turkey due to the fear of the flow of refugees, has kneeled before Erdogan.

Minister of Culture of Saxony Eva-Maria Stange mentioned that the cancellation of the concert was very painful because the concert could have contributed to the process of reconciliation between the Turks and Armenians.

Director of the Dresden Philharmonic Marcus Rindt declared that the cancellation of the concert in Istanbul was very painful and unexpected. He stated that the German MFA and the Philharmonic had been preparing for the concert for nearly a year.

Rindt confirmed news that the Philharmonic hadn’t agreed with the MFA to send invitations to high-ranking Turkish officials. He informed that the MFA was delaying the distribution of invitations to the non-official concert and that it was important for the Philharmonic to see Turkish political figures attending the concert. That’s why invitations were sent.

After the cancellation of the concert, the musicians of the Dresden Philharmonic sent a letter to German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier, criticizing the decision of the MFA to postpone the concert and considering it an illogical step.

Earlier, the Philharmonic had declared that, with this concert, the Philharmonic wanted to contribute to the reinstatement of relations between Turkey and Armenia. The creation of a German-Armenian-Turkish Friendship Union was envisaged.

Let us remind that on November 13, the Dresden Philharmonic was scheduled to give a concert at the Consulate General of Germany in Istanbul. The Philharmonic had also invited President of Turkey Recep Tayyib Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to the concert dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

Yesterday, the German MFA announced that sending invitations to the mentioned officials hadn’t been agreed with the MFA, as a result of which the November 13 concert was cancelled. The MFA Spokesman also stated that the MFA was actually happy for this concert and supports the project aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia. The press speaker added that the MFA would try to find an appropriate time for holding the concert soon, writes ermenihaber.am.