Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun sent a message to the concert that said, “The gathering of representatives from Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Jewish and Chaldean communities at St. Antoine Church is the best illustration of the culture of coexistence, in my opinion.”
During the concert held at St. Antoine Church, soloist Dr. Karin Çubukciyan was accompanied by organist Anna Gevorgyan Uğurluyan.
Director of Communications Prof. Fahrettin Altun’s message for the concert was read by Father Şirvan Mürzyan before the performances.
In his message, Director of Communications Altun said the concert was held with the ending of the pandemic, and added, "The gathering of valuable representatives from Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Jewish and Chaldean communities for this event in the beautiful setting of St. Antoine Church, in my opinion, is the best illustration of the culture of coexistence and carries great significance. Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2019, the world has endured such difficult times. This process resulted in the deaths of over six million people, and we have felt this profound sorrow in our family and in our immediate surroundings.”
Expressing his gratitude to the health professionals who worked with great sacrifice and his condolences for those who lost their lives, Director of Communications Altun noted:
“The greatest lesson we have learned from the pandemic, when we lost lives, lost time, and were unable to live fully and breathe freely, is to appreciate the gift of life and be grateful for every moment we have.”
While successfully combating the coronavirus pandemic, Türkiye also provided assistance and support to a number of other countries, recognizing the importance of a collective effort. We have always emphasized the importance of unity and brotherhood without any discrimination based on religion, language and ethnicity. After a two-year pandemic, the world and our country are entering a new phase. In this new phase, it is more important than ever to stick together, maintain our nations’ sense of unity, and to take collective action. We will lead Türkiye into the twenty-first century with this spirit of unity.
"We will always keep our wishes of kindness and love in the first place"
Soprano Dr. Karin Çubukciyan Bozkurt also stated that the coronavirus pandemic was a test for humanity, saying, "We united with our hearts regardless of language, religion and ethnicity, walking hand in hand for new hopes and sending our prayers to God. First and foremost, as a doctor who has worked throughout the Covid pandemic, I owe a debt of gratitude to all health professionals, particularly medical doctors, and I wish mercy to the volunteers who died on this path. We have lost loved ones, youngsters, and the elderly during this long period. We send our prayers to each of them from here. Following this trying time, we will join our hands in prayer and continue our journey, remembering the lessons we learned from this test. We will always keep our wishes of kindness and love in the first place."
Thanking the officials of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications and St. Antoine Church for their contributions to the event, Bozkurt said, "I hope to live hand in hand on this land, as we have done for thousands of years, again with love, unity, and solidarity for many years."
"We have lost more than 350 people in our Armenian community (due to Covid)"
The Armenian Patriarch of Türkiye, Sahak Mashalyan, stated that the musician Bozkurt performed at St. Antoine Church before the pandemic, adding, "We wanted to repeat it every year, but the pandemic did not allow it."
Adding that the pandemic has changed and disrupted many things, Mashalyan continued:
"(The pandemic) claimed nearly 6 million lives. Our small Armenian community alone has lost over 350 people. We continue to grieve for some of them. Because their deaths were untimely. Nothing can be sent to the dead. They are in another world, but we can offer our prayers to them. Johann Sebastian Bach's loved ones were crying as he died. He told them, 'Don't cry; I'm going to the place where music was born.' The land of the soul is where music was actually born... Our loved ones, those we lost because of Covid-19, are there. There are hymns to be sung in the sublime atmosphere of this church. May our heartfelt prayers reach them, and may these prayers bring comfort to their families."
A repertoire of works by Giuseppe Verdi, Marco Frisina, Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Alexander Harutyunyan, Giulio Caccini, Alessandro Stradella, Henry Purcell, William Gomez, Magar Yegmalian, and Gomidas Vartabed was performed in the concert.
Representatives of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Armenian Patriarchate of Türkiye and the Armenian Catholic Church, as well as art lovers, were among those who came to watch the event, which was also attended by Evren Başar, Deputy Director of Presidency's Directorate of Communications.
