Greek singer Despina Vandi refuses to go on stage at a concert in Turkey because of a flag dispute

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Greek pop star Despina Vandi refused to perform on a stage in Turkey decorated with the Turkish flag and a portrait of the country’s founding father, prompting Turkey’s mayor to tell her to leave her city, Turkish media reported.

The 54-year-old singer was scheduled to perform at a charity concert in Cesme, a Turkish resort town west of Izmir, late Wednesday night, but she declined to appear after authorities rejected her demand to remove the flag and poster of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The incident comes at a time when the leaders of Turkey and Greece are trying to improve their difficult relations.

In an Instagram post, Vandi expressed her respect for the audience who “honored me with their presence at my concert,” but criticized the organizers, the Turkish Education Foundation, for turning the event from a concert into “a forbidden and non-agreed political connotation.”

“It is not possible for me to attend the event in question,” she wrote.

The audience, which had filled the open-air amphitheater in Çeşme, expressed their disappointment with boos when the reason for their decision not to perform was announced, according to the Sozcu newspaper.

“There is no power that can force us to take down our flag or Ataturk’s poster,” Anadolu quoted Cesme Mayor Lal Denizli as telling the crowd. “Don’t boo them. I don’t think it’s worth making an effort and wasting words.”

She continued, “This lady should leave town immediately.”

Neighbouring Turkey and Greece have been at loggerheads for decades over a range of issues, including territorial claims, and have been on the brink of war three times in the past half century.

The heads of state and government of both countries have met several times over the past year to strengthen the process of normalizing relations.

According to the newspaper Sozcu, many spectators stayed to watch the performance of a choir that was supposed to accompany the Greek star and joined the choir in singing the patriotic Turkish anthem.