Kusturica plants Tree of Peace in Yerevan
8/3/2010
Emir Kusturica and No Smoking Orchestra have held a magnificent concert in Armenia, at the National Theatre in Yerevan. The Serbian film director had arrived at the invitation of Khachatur Almazian, famous Armenian violinist, best known for his Almazian’s Obsession orchestra.
Kusturica and Almazian were given an official reception by Armenia president Serzh Sargsyan, chatting for 45 minutes in a warm and friendly atmosphere in the president’s residence. Kusturica was then seen by Karekin II, the current head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church, who presented the filmmaker with a 1,700-year-old Holy Mother Church plaquette.
Upon his arrival in Yerevan, Kusturica was welcomed by Armenia’s Prime Minister, Tigran Sargsyan, after which they visited Yerevan’s Armenian Genocide Museum, where Kusturica planted a tree of peace.
Following the visit to the museum-institute, Emir Kusturica, together with the members of the No Smoking Orchestra, laid a wreath at the location where seven Serbian pilots died in 1988, after delivering humanitarian aid to the Armenian people, hit by that year’s devastating earthquake.
No Smoking Orchestra continue their tour tomorrow night in Saint Petersburg, which will be the band’s eighth concert in this Russian city in the past year.
