ISTANBUL. – Turkish Deputy PM Bulent Arinc and his wife attended a concert of the Antakya Civilizations’ Choir and also sang along a song.

During the event held at Anemon Hotel in Turkish city of Manisa, Armenian folk songs as well as Turkish, Arabic, and Hebrew songs were performed for just about 1.5 hours, Turkey’s Haberturk daily writes.  

After singing “My Turkey” along with the choir, Arinc addressed those present, noting that his responsibilities also include the issues of national and religious minorities living in Turkey. “We have lived in these lands together, and the Ottoman era is its proof. Turkey has more than 160 community foundations, which have fairly large amount of real estate that was confiscated in 1974. A new law passed just recently, and we are returning the real estate that we had confiscated. This is our honor,” Turkish Deputy PM stated.        

The Antakya Civilizations’ Choir was founded in Turkey’s Antakya city in 2007, and it has approximately 120 members. Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan always assists the Choir’s tours abroad by providing them airplanes. 

Armenian News-NEWS.am presents a video from the Choir’s concert rehearsal, to which Armenian News-NEWS.am’s reporter who was in Antakya had attended.