Tarkan moves to allay controversy ahead of Baku concert
World-famous Turkish singer Tarkan has dismissed
reports of a controversy surrounding his joining the recent online
campaign of Turks apologizing to Armenians for the alleged World
War I-era killings of huge numbers of their countrymen.
Tarkan said he was unaware that his name had been included in the list of voters for the campaign, launched on the www.ozurdiliyoruz.com website on December 5.
Tarkan said he was on a tour of Europe at the time and learnt about the development from media reports.
"This happened unbeknownst to me and without my will," Turkish Hurriyyet newspaper quoted him as saying.
Tarkan, who enjoys great popularity in Azerbaijan, is scheduled to give a concert in Baku on December 30. Announcements for the concert have been widely published in local media and the tickets are nearly sold out. But the reports on his alleged joining the "apology campaign" have sparked controversy and raised doubts about its taking place. The insurance company Garant Sighorta and the Bank of Azerbaijan - organizers of the concert scheduled at the Heydar Aliyev Palace - warned Monday that they would refuse to cooperate with Tarkan if the reports were proven true.
The apology initiative, launched by up to 200 Turkish scholars, journalists, men of art and NGO representatives, seeks to extend an apology for the alleged mass killings in the Ottoman Empire that Armenians term as genocide, a claim strenuously denied by Ankara. Supporters of the campaign add their assistance by posting their names, city of residence and email addresses on the web-page. A person named "Tarkan Tevet oglu" has recently joined the campaign, which sparked concerns about the mega-star`s recognizing the alleged genocide of Armenians.
Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence due to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the Armenian "genocide" claims.
Tarkan said he was unaware that his name had been included in the list of voters for the campaign, launched on the www.ozurdiliyoruz.com website on December 5.
Tarkan said he was on a tour of Europe at the time and learnt about the development from media reports.
"This happened unbeknownst to me and without my will," Turkish Hurriyyet newspaper quoted him as saying.
Tarkan, who enjoys great popularity in Azerbaijan, is scheduled to give a concert in Baku on December 30. Announcements for the concert have been widely published in local media and the tickets are nearly sold out. But the reports on his alleged joining the "apology campaign" have sparked controversy and raised doubts about its taking place. The insurance company Garant Sighorta and the Bank of Azerbaijan - organizers of the concert scheduled at the Heydar Aliyev Palace - warned Monday that they would refuse to cooperate with Tarkan if the reports were proven true.
The apology initiative, launched by up to 200 Turkish scholars, journalists, men of art and NGO representatives, seeks to extend an apology for the alleged mass killings in the Ottoman Empire that Armenians term as genocide, a claim strenuously denied by Ankara. Supporters of the campaign add their assistance by posting their names, city of residence and email addresses on the web-page. A person named "Tarkan Tevet oglu" has recently joined the campaign, which sparked concerns about the mega-star`s recognizing the alleged genocide of Armenians.
Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic ties and the border between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence due to Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the Armenian "genocide" claims.
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
Subscribe
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!