DJIVAN GASPARYAN GIVING INTERVIEW TO HURRIYET DAILY NEWS

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.05.2009 00:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ World-renowned Armenian duduk virtuoso Djivan
Gasparyan has said to Hurriyet Daily News it is "the right time" for
all Turkish and Armenian people to raise their glasses "arm-in-arm
for peace and brotherhood."

"Come, let’s share our pains," said the musician, 81, known for
his skill on the duduk. "No matter that you are Muslims and we are
Christians. The holy thing we worship, and all the paths to him,
are the same."

Gasparyan’s family owes its life to a Turkish family, he said,
explaining: "The roots of my family date back to the Anatolian city of
MuÅ~_. My grandfather had six children. In 1915, our Turkish neighbor
saved the life of these children by hiding them under the fodder in
the barn."

As it is said in the article, Gasparyan’s grandfather spoke about
this Turkish family with love and respect until the end of his life,
Gasparyan said, adding, "The biggest wish of my grandfather was to
see this family before his death and give them his blessings, but
his wish did not come true."

"My biggest wish is for the border gates between Turkey and Armenia
to open as soon as possible," Gasparyan told the Hurriyet Daily News &
Economic Review at his home in the Armenian capital of Yerevan before
he embarked on a world tour. This would accelerate the dialogue
process between both countries, he said, adding, "I want to see our
peoples make peace before I die."

Despite his advanced age, he still goes on world tours too. "I
have finally come to Armenia, which is my homeland," he said. "I
feel at peace in this country. But my heart is in MuÅ~_, where my
grandfathers were born. I want to come to Turkey and visit MuÅ~_
as soon as possible."

Taking the stage with many world-renown names, Gasparyan said it was
a significant step to perform with Turkish artists. "Maybe we cannot
speak a common language, but we can create a global one with notes
and music," he said.

>>From time to time, Gasparyan said, the ownership of songs
is debated in Armenia, just as it is in Turkey. "There are big
similarities between some Turkish, Armenian and Iranian songs," he
said. "For example, ‘Sarı Gelin’ (Yellow Bride) is always the focus
of discussions. But it doesn’t make sense to politicize songs. It is
nonsense to debate the ownership of anonymous music."