Turkey’s EU Minister Advises Armenia On Eurovision

TURKEY’S EU MINISTER ADVISES ARMENIA ON EUROVISION

Vestnik Kavkaza
March 15 2012
Russia

Turkey would rather Armenia withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh than the
Eurovision song contest, Turkey’s European Union Minister Egemen
BagıÅ~_ said today, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“Turkey would prefer Armenia to pull out of Nagorno-Karabakh, rather
than from the Eurovision song contest. I think they should revise
their decision,” BagıÅ~_ said. Armenia announced last week it would
not be competing in this May’s Eurovision song contest, to be held
in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Can Bonomo, the singer
who will representTurkey in this year’s contest, at the European
Ministry’s office in Ortaköy, BagıÅ~_ said that competing with an
English-language song was the right choice. “I like the song ‘Love Me
Back’ very much. English is a universal language so it is the right
choice to send Turkey’s message to the international community,”
BagıÅ~_ said.

Armenia’s state broadcaster announced the country was pulling out
of the 2012 Eurovision song contest, saying there was “no logic to
sending a participant to a country where he will be met as an enemy.”

BagıÅ~_ said Azerbaijan had earned the right to host this year’s
contest. “It is all technical. When a country wins the contest one
year, it is assigned to host the next year’s contest. Azerbaijan is a
United Nations member country. No country has the right to condemn it.”