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Courier Mail, Australia
March 7 2012
Armenia to boycott Eurovision
From: AFP
March 07, 2012 11:54PM
ARMENIA has pulled out of the 2012 Eurovision song contest that will
be hosted by bitter enemy Azerbaijan.
"Armenia decided to refuse to participate in the 2012 edition of
Eurovision in Baku," said Gagik Buniatyan, the director of Armenia's
Public Television station which would have broadcast the popular song
competition.
However he declined to explain the reasons behind the decision yesterday.
The organiser of the European pop extravaganza, the European
Broadcasting Union (EBU), expressed disappointment over the
"unfortunate" decision.
"We are truly disappointed by the broadcaster's decision to withdraw
from this year's Eurovision Song Contest," said the contest's
executive supervisor, Jon Ola Sand, on EBU's website.
"Despite the efforts of the EBU and the host broadcaster to ensure a
smooth participation for the Armenian delegation in this year's
contest, circumstances beyond our control lead to this unfortunate
decision," he said.
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Azerbaijani and Armenian forces fought a war over the disputed region
of Nagorny Karabakh in the 1990s which left some 30,000 people dead.
Despite years of negotiations since the 1994 ceasefire, no final peace
deal has yet been signed.
There are still frequent gun battles along the frontline. Azerbaijan
has repeatedly threatened to use force to win back Karabakh if talks
fail, while Armenia has warned of massive retaliation to any military
action.
The Azerbaijani authorities however had promised to ensure the
security of all Eurovision participants and fans travelling to Baku
for the event.
A group of Armenian pop singers launched a Eurovision boycott campaign
last month.
"We refuse to appear in a country that is well-known for mass killings
and massacres of Armenians, in a country where anti-Armenian
sentiments have been elevated to the level of state policy," wrote 22
singers, including three former Armenian Eurovision contestants, in a
statement.
The campaign was launched amid anger over the reported shooting of an
Armenian soldier by an Azerbaijani sniper, but it ran into controversy
after officials announced that he had actually been killed by a fellow
serviceman.
One prominent Armenian blogger described the campaign and the boycott
as "a disgrace".
"They could have announced it much earlier, with dignity, with a kind
of reasoning that would have gained them respect. Instead, they
resorted to stupid propaganda games and outright lies," wrote blogger
Mika Artyan.
Another Armenian blogger however praised the decision to pull out.
"At last something right has been done. We have finished with this
thing," wrote blogger Narek Galstian.
Eurovision deleted comments on the issue from its official website
shortly after the news was announced following a series of furious
exchanges between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
Azerbaijani singers Ell and Nikki won Eurovision in Duesseldorf in May
2011, giving the oil-rich ex-Soviet state the right to host the
contest this year.
The Azerbaijani administration sees Eurovision 2012 as a chance to
boost the international profile of a country until now mainly known as
an energy exporter on the fringe of Europe.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/armenia-to-boycott-eurovision/story-fn6ck55c-1226292795014
March 7 2012
Armenia to boycott Eurovision
From: AFP
March 07, 2012 11:54PM
ARMENIA has pulled out of the 2012 Eurovision song contest that will
be hosted by bitter enemy Azerbaijan.
"Armenia decided to refuse to participate in the 2012 edition of
Eurovision in Baku," said Gagik Buniatyan, the director of Armenia's
Public Television station which would have broadcast the popular song
competition.
However he declined to explain the reasons behind the decision yesterday.
The organiser of the European pop extravaganza, the European
Broadcasting Union (EBU), expressed disappointment over the
"unfortunate" decision.
"We are truly disappointed by the broadcaster's decision to withdraw
from this year's Eurovision Song Contest," said the contest's
executive supervisor, Jon Ola Sand, on EBU's website.
"Despite the efforts of the EBU and the host broadcaster to ensure a
smooth participation for the Armenian delegation in this year's
contest, circumstances beyond our control lead to this unfortunate
decision," he said.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces fought a war over the disputed region
of Nagorny Karabakh in the 1990s which left some 30,000 people dead.
Despite years of negotiations since the 1994 ceasefire, no final peace
deal has yet been signed.
There are still frequent gun battles along the frontline. Azerbaijan
has repeatedly threatened to use force to win back Karabakh if talks
fail, while Armenia has warned of massive retaliation to any military
action.
The Azerbaijani authorities however had promised to ensure the
security of all Eurovision participants and fans travelling to Baku
for the event.
A group of Armenian pop singers launched a Eurovision boycott campaign
last month.
"We refuse to appear in a country that is well-known for mass killings
and massacres of Armenians, in a country where anti-Armenian
sentiments have been elevated to the level of state policy," wrote 22
singers, including three former Armenian Eurovision contestants, in a
statement.
The campaign was launched amid anger over the reported shooting of an
Armenian soldier by an Azerbaijani sniper, but it ran into controversy
after officials announced that he had actually been killed by a fellow
serviceman.
One prominent Armenian blogger described the campaign and the boycott
as "a disgrace".
"They could have announced it much earlier, with dignity, with a kind
of reasoning that would have gained them respect. Instead, they
resorted to stupid propaganda games and outright lies," wrote blogger
Mika Artyan.
Another Armenian blogger however praised the decision to pull out.
"At last something right has been done. We have finished with this
thing," wrote blogger Narek Galstian.
Eurovision deleted comments on the issue from its official website
shortly after the news was announced following a series of furious
exchanges between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
Azerbaijani singers Ell and Nikki won Eurovision in Duesseldorf in May
2011, giving the oil-rich ex-Soviet state the right to host the
contest this year.
The Azerbaijani administration sees Eurovision 2012 as a chance to
boost the international profile of a country until now mainly known as
an energy exporter on the fringe of Europe.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/armenia-to-boycott-eurovision/story-fn6ck55c-1226292795014