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Saatja: "Hannus Luure" <[email protected]> Saaja: "The Oriental Tales" <[email protected]> Teema: RE: FW: Request for Exception for Armenian Artist Xcho to Give Concert in Estonia Kuupäev: 2024-05-03 09:03 Hello I am sorry once again – we do not give out exceptions and it is a matter of principle. If an artist has chosen to do business in Russia, it is Estonian policy that they are not welcome here until they have cut all ties with the Russian market. If after the concerts in Europe he is indeed blacklisted in Russia and you can prove it, then he is very welcome in Estonia. I see that his management company is also Russian (https://toomuch.agency/#contacts) and his artist booking is through a Russian telephone number. So as long as we see these kind of signs that money from the concert will flow into Russia, it is not possible for us to give any exceptions. All the best Hannus Luure Kommunikatsiooninõunik Osakonnajuhataja asetäitja Kommunikatsiooni ja rahvusvahelise koostöö osakond Kultuuriministeerium <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] 628 2271 | 526 1431 Suur-Karja 23 |15076 Tallinn |Eesti <http://www.kultuuriminsiteerium.ee/> www.kul.ee From: The Oriental Tales <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, May 2, 2024 5:20 PM To: Hannus Luure <[email protected]> Subject: Re: FW: Request for Exception for Armenian Artist Xcho to Give Concert in Estonia Dear Hannus, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to follow up on my previous email regarding Xcho and his upcoming concerts. I kindly ask for your reply to that email as it is important for us to have your input on the matter. I also wanted to share some additional information with you. The ministries of culture in Germany and the Czech Republic have expressed their support for our concerts and have allowed us to proceed with the events. Given the progress we have made and the support we have received, I am asking for your approval to proceed with the concert. A lot of effort has been put into organizing these events, and it is crucial for us to move forward. I want to assure you one more time that Xcho is against the ongoing war and the Russian government. He has not accepted any offers from pro-Russian governmental TV channels, participated in any ongoing propaganda, or performed at VK fest or similar governmental events. And after performing in Europe he will probably be blacklisted in Russia and he is willing to take this. We need to support him. Xcho has never been to Europe before, and hosting him for a concert could help to showcase his talent and spread a positive message. I am willing to cover all taxes and all necessary expenses to ensure that the concert meets high standards and complies with all regulations. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to your response. Thank you. Best regards, Norik Grigorjan On Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at 1:09 PM The Oriental Tales <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Dear Hannus, Thank you for your email and for sharing your perspective on the matter. I completely understand and support your stance on not inviting Russian artists to Estonia given the current situation. I also agree that it is important for artists to take a strong stance against the actions of the Russian government in Ukraine. Regarding Xcho, I appreciate your concerns and I want to assure you that he is not taking his concerts in Russia lightly. After his concert in Estonia and Latvia, he has upcoming shows in Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic in August and I am confident that he will stop traveling to Russia altogether. If he fails to make strong statements condemning the aggression of Russia and Belarus, we will not invite him again. I want to emphasize that Xcho is a victim of circumstances, and he is making efforts to distance himself from the Russian government. His concerts are organized by the Armenian community with other Armenian singers, and he is not accepting any governmental engagements in Russia. His songs are gaining popularity, and he is limited in where he can perform, at the moment mostly Armenia, USA, Russia, UAE where are most of Armenians live. I take full responsibility as his tour manager in Europe and assure you that I will ensure Xcho continues on the right path and does not engage with the Russian market. I believe that by allowing him to perform in Estonia and Europe, we can support his efforts to resist the Russian government and open doors for him in the future. Thank you for considering this request, and I hope we can work together to support artists who are standing against Russian influence or trying to do so. I also promise not to attempt to bring any other artist who performs or to ask permission from ministry before we announce concert. Best regards, Norik Grigorjan +37255994999 Чт, 25 апр. 2024 г. в 12:06, Hannus Luure <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >: Dear Mr Grigorjan, As long as an artist supports the Russian war machine by giving concerts in Russia, he is not welcome in Estonia. It is as simple as that I’m afraid and no exception can be made here. If he has a strong stance against the Russian government, he does not communicate this at all. Also, actions speak louder than words and doing business within Russia directly supports the killing of Ukranians via taxes. If we see a strong and unequivocal public condemnation of the aggression of Russia and Belarus in the war in Ukraine, we might reconsider this stance and welcome Xcho. But the prerequisite for that is not doing business in Russia or Belarus. We expect total distancing from Russia before we can let him into Estonia. I understand this seems unfair, but we must do everything in our power to reduce Russian influence in the world and Estonia right now. And making artists choose between the European and Russian market is one of the ways we can do it. You cannot be against the war in Ukraine and do business in Russia at the same time. I hope this clears things up, let me know if you have any more questions. All the best Hannus From: The Oriental Tales <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 4:14 PM To: Hannus Luure <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: Request for Exception for Armenian Artist Xcho to Give Concert in Estonia Dear Hannus Luure, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to request an exception regarding the allowance for Armenian artist Xcho to give a concert in Estonia. While I understand your concerns about artists performing in Russia, I believe Xcho should be considered for an exception due to his strong ties to the Armenian community and his stance against the Russian government. Xcho frequently gives concerts in Russia, but it is important to note that he does so for the Armenian community and population residing in Russia, which is actually higher than the population of Armenians in Armenia itself. He actively supports our Armenian community in Ukraine and has made public statements denouncing the Russian government. He does not attend or accept invitations to Russian TV shows, events such as VK-fest, Golden Gramophone, or any other pro-Russian governmental activities. It is evident that Xcho does not support the Russian government or the war in Ukraine. He understands the importance of supporting Armenians in Ukraine as well. Denying him the opportunity to perform in Estonia would not be fair to him, especially considering that this would be his first tour in Europe. I am confident that after experiencing Europe and seeing how we operate, including his planned tour in Prague, Berlin, Hamburg, and Alicante, Xcho will make the right decision and distance himself from Russia completely, like many other artists have done. We are currently in discussions with Xcho, and he may be willing to make statements regarding his stance. However, he also needs cooperation from your end to make this possible. I kindly request your consideration for this exception and look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter. Thank you for your attention to this request. Warm regards, Norik Grigorjan Concert Organiser The Oriental Tales +37255994999 _____ Käesolev e-kiri võib sisaldada asutusesiseseks kasutamiseks tunnistatud teavet. 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