Will Armenia be able to participate, as planned, in Junior Eurovision on November 26? “At the moment there is no definitive answer to this question,” replied 20 minutes Martin Österdahl, the executive supervisor of the competition, during the press conference held on Wednesday in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), where the competition will take place. The Swede specified that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) would “monitor the evolution of the situation” which he considers “actually worrying”.
Last week, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive to retake Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-majority territory, which seceded from Azerbaijan in 1991. The separatists capitulated within twenty-four hours.
This Thursday, Nagorno-Karabakh announced its dissolution on January 1, 2024, while more than half of its population was forced to flee. AFP reports that the Armenian authorities have reported the arrival of more than 68,000 displaced people, while the official population of Nagorno-Kabarakh is around 120,000 inhabitants. Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of carrying out “ethnic cleansing”. Baku denies this and asks the “Armenian residents” of Nagorno-Karabakh to “be part of its multi-ethnic society”.
Eurovision, a reflection of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan
In this context, Armenia’s participation in the song competition therefore remains to be confirmed. Organizer of Junior Eurovision last year, this country announced in July that it would take part in the 2023 edition in France.
In 2021, Armenia announced its withdrawal from Eurovision a few weeks after the previous conflict with Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian public service motivated this decision due to “recent events and [du] short production time”.
The musical competition has regularly reflected tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 2016, Armenian singer Iveta Mukuchyan waved a Nagorno-Karabakh flag in front of the cameras. The EBU criticized him for this gesture of a political nature. At a press conference, the artist declared: “I live in Germany, but my thoughts are with my motherland. Like all Armenians, I only want peace on the border. » In 2012, Armenia also boycotted Eurovision which was organized in Baku.