Musicians pledge support for democratic initiative

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked the nation's musicians and singers to support the government's democratic initiative, which aims to improve standards of democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights in Turkey. The request has been well received, with Erdogan hosting leading musicians and singers on Saturday for a breakfast at the Prime Ministry's working office at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul and urging them to help spread the initiative's ideas and feelings to the country's most distant corners through their work. "Your songs have the power to go through deaf walls," he said at the meeting, where 62 important musicians were present. "You are the heartfelt voice of this country. I ask you to help this movement of change with your artistic sensitivity." Erdogan asked them to put their hearts into the initiative, saying that it would bring a brighter future to Turkey. "I believe neither flying bullets nor political orations can suppress or limit your songs," he said. "You are the ones who will understand a mother's scream the best. You are the ones to feel in your hearts the pain of a youngster who gets shot and falls to the ground, no matter where he is. You have cemented our brotherhood through your songs and you will again be the ones who will ensure that this country has brighter days." The attending musicians offered their support for the initiative's success.