World-famous pianist Evgeny Kissin promised at a meeting with president Serzh Sargsyan on Thursday, December 28 to keep visiting Armenia as long as he is alive.

Sargsyan said that the Armenian people greatly appreciate Kissin’s talent and mastery and his excellent performance.

Noting that Armenians will never forget the pianist’s support during the devastating earthquake of 1988, the president thanked him for his concert in New York City, dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

Kissin was in Yerevan to conclude the Yerevan Perspectives International Music Festival on Wednesday.

In an interview with the New York Times, the legendary musician said he would not perform in Turkey until its government acknowledges that the mass murder of Armenians in 1915 was Genocide.