Popular Greek singer Despina Vandi was told to leave a town in Turkey after she refused to perform on stage after seeing it was adorned with the Turkish flag and a portrait of the country’s founding father.
According to Associated Press, Vandi was set to perform at a charity concert in the resort town of Cesme on Wednesday night when she refused to make an appearance.
Authorities had declined her request that the flag and poster of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk be removed, state-run media reported.
This comes as the leaders of Greece and Turkey are trying to improve relations.
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Vandi took to Instagram to express her respect to the audience who “honored me with their presence at my concert.”
But criticised the organisers, the Turkish Education Foundation, for changing the event from a concert into “a prohibited and non-agreed political connotation.”
“My participation in the said event is not possible,” she wrote.
It was reported by Turkish media that the audience booed in disappointment when her reason for not appearing was announced.
The situation even prompted the local mayor to ask the singer to leave her town.
Greece and Turkey have long been at odds for issues like territorial claims, and leaders of the two countries have met several times in the past year to strengthen their ties.
