Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas and Sertab Erener, who won the
Eurovision song contest in 2003 for Turkey, teamed up on July 7,
2004 for a concert in Istanbul aimed at promoting peace between the
two nations.

Fans at the concert waved Greek and Turkish flags at the concert in
Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district - home to Hagia Sophia, an
ancient Greek Orthodox church converted into a mosque by Ottoman
Turks when they conquered the Byzantine capital Constantinople (now
Istanbul) in 1453.

Rouvas, whose song "Shake It" came in third at this year's
Eurovision contest in Istanbul, said the concert was supported by
Greece's Premier Costas Karamanlis and his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, who recently visited Greece.

"Our goal is to bring a solution to conflicts through music"
Turkey's Anatolia news agency quoted Rouvas as saying before the
concert.

Although Nato allies, Greece and Turkey have come close to war three
times since 1974. Ties have been improving in recent years, and
Greece supports this principally Muslim nation's bid to join the
European Union.

This concert took place a day after the Olympic flame travelled
through Istanbul ahead of the Summer Games in Athens next month.


Associated Press