ARMENIA 2012 - Not taking part

[rajo]

I'm with Armenia, and somehow relieved that they are finally not taking part.

It would have been so awkward, if the Armenian announcer of votes got a cool welcome.....

 

[Sabiondo]

Oficial release by AMPTV.


Armenia Withdraws From ESC 2012
07.03.2012

Armenian Public TV Company has actively participated in “Eurovision” since 2006, and “Junior Eurovision” since 2007, by presenting participants from Armenia each year.

Armenia hosted “Junior Eurovision” song contest in December 2011, which was held in an amity atmosphere and was highly appreciated by everyone. This year for the first time Armenia will participate in classical music “Eurovision song contest for young musicians 2012” to be held in Vienna in May. The TV Company from further on also plans to continue the partnership with European Broadcasters Union in general, and with “Eurovision” in particular.

However, with regret we announce that the Armenian Public TV Company cannot send a delegation for participation in “Eurovision” to the capital of Azerbaijan Baku in May 2012. Even though Azerbaijani authorities promised to guarantee security for all participating countries, days ago the president of Azerbaijan “made an exception” for one of those countries, by announcing that Azerbaijan’s primary enemies are Armenians throughout the world. Factually we can note that the president of the country hosting “Eurovision” officially announces that all Armenians, including the ones that would have been enrolled in the “Eurovision” delegation, are enemies of Azerbaijan. Hence, there is no logic to send a participant to a country, where he/she will be greeted as an enemy. This is a matter of principle for us.

We are certain that the atmosphere, which has developed in the background of this and other anti Armenian rhetoric and actions, cannot provide equal conditions for all singers participating in “Eurovision”, which, in our understanding, is the main component of the contest. Furthermore we will continue taking part in “Eurovision”, and presenting Armenia at this pan European song contest.


AMPTV

07.03.2012

http://www.eurovision.am/article/127

 

[rajo]

As long as there are countries in the competition, which prohibit each other from taking part, they should be excluded to host the contest. So, there should have been a Plan B for the EBU, that Azerbaijan must not host Eurovision as long as it is technically in war with its neighbour (same for Armenia).

I can easily guess that Azeri Delegation would have withdrawn as well, if Armenia was the host.

 

[A-lister]

I can easily guess that Azeri Delegation would have withdrawn as well, if Armenia was the host.

I'm not even sure they would announce participation in the first place. Well I know jESC can't be compared to ESC, but I remember Azerbaijan thought about entering jESC, but they decided to not take part when Armenia was announced as host.

 

[rajo]

I guess, Armenia was committed to Eurovision, wherever it may take part, in the first place.

Since Azerbaijan declared Armenia state enemy no.1., I have no problems in understanding Armenia's decision.

But you are certainly right, that Azerbaijan would not even have considered participating in an Armenia Song Contest.

 

[summerrain]

Ok, hold on a minute. I probably forgot to say that the whole things was my opinion, so I apologize for that. Haha, no I can't find proof obviously, since Armenia isn't going to Azerbaijan anymore, but to me its quite obvious these things would have happened. Like I said, I'm talking from my personal experience. I'm from Russia but I have been living in Ireland for a long while since I was a kid and I wanted to find friends who also spoke Russian, because at the time my English was really bad. So i made friends with this girl from Armenia and we were really close, she was lovely and so was her family. As we grew up I noticed that when I came over for a visit and we watched the Russian news on TV when they would have discussed another meeting between the presidents, her family would slip a few comments insulting the whole war in support of Armenia. Plus, there are a few people from Azerbaijan living in Ireland who are also Russian speaking, so everyone sort of knows each other here. So a few arguments have occurred. I never really understood what the problem was, like I said, I was young and not smart enough to understand political things. Trust me, I'm not biased and I'm completely neutral to this whole war thing, I'm not stirring things up. I don't care how big Armenia was before, all I know is that they took some lands from Azerbaijan. I read it on a Russian website. All I wanted to say that Armenia's withdrawal isn't a bad thing and I think that people from other countries should respect their decision and not call them silly or childish. Its a war just between them, so we need to stay out of this. About the whole thing "You have only two posts..." and whatever... No, I didn't register here just to discuss this whole political issue. I registered a while ago, in January and I never wrote anything. I came here yesterday because yesterday Russia chose their act for Eurovision so I wanted to read the reviews and what people think basically. And then I saw this topic so decided to leave a comment or two. I was never planning to make a whole discussion out of this, I just wanted to let people know why Azerbaijan is happy that Armenia has withdrawn. This isn't personal for me, if it was I would have said that I hate Armenians and I want them all dead. But no, I don't hate them, in fact I'm friends with some of them. And yes, I agree, we should leave this already. I'm not in the mood to get into fights or anything like that. ;-)

 

[Sabiondo]

I hope that the Admins & Mods just close this therad again for ever.. here not are reazon why keep open again, unless if AMPTV reflex a bit and change of opinion in the few days who left to send a song to ESC, but its verry unilikely that happens.

 

[Nexos]

Just say it was something natural that pass ... it's a shame that for these reasons Armenia not enters in the festival...

One less to compete. Could enter another country like Andorra ... but it will not be.

 

[rajo]

Andorra's participation does not depend on Armenia's.

There was always room for more than 43 countries.

 

[A-lister]

Andorra's participation does not depend on Armenia's.

There was always room for more than 43 countries.

Yeah, I think EBU's limit is 46 or something like that currently.

 

[rajo]

I think there could be even room for more.

A maximum of 25 countries per semi with 10 advancing to the finals, where they meet the Big 5 and the host, makes 56...

 

[Quent91]

I don't think we'll ever get to 56 countries participating :?

 

[QwaarJet]

I don't think we'll ever get to 56 countries participating :?

We're already pushing the boundaries of believability in terms of how European some of the current batch are, never mind adding so many more.

 

[dezbee2008]

I'm also sad that Armenia withdrew, but I'm not surprised by it either.

Maybe next year.

 

[julien4ESC]

I thought the limit of country was 46. 20 for each semi and the big 6. I think it's enough.

 

[Master]

I guess, Armenia was committed to Eurovision, wherever it may take part, in the first place.

Since Azerbaijan declared Armenia state enemy no.1., I have no problems in understanding Armenia's decision.

But you are certainly right, that Azerbaijan would not even have considered participating in an Armenia Song Contest.

Why do you believe Azerbaijan has not considered or even not wanted Armenia to take part in Eurovision? Do you have any facts to back this statement up or it's just your conjectures?

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

Why do you believe Azerbaijan has not considered or even not wanted Armenia to take part in Eurovision? Do you have any facts to back this statement up or it's just your conjectures?

I hardly think Mr President of Azerbaijan's statement "our main enemies are Armenians of the world and the hypocritical and corrupt politicians under their control" created a friendly and Eurovision-like atmosphere for the Armenian's to participate, do you?

 

[Master]

I hardly think Mr President of Azerbaijan's statement "our main enemies are Armenians of the world and the hypocritical and corrupt politicians under their control" created a friendly and Eurovision-like atmosphere for the Armenian's to participate, do you?

There was no call in the statement of the President to be considered somehow as a reluctance to see Armenia participating. Armenia is a country whose intelligence organized terror actions on the territory of Azerbaijan, and whose armed forces occupied a part of its lands with ethical cleansing and mass killings of the Azerbaijani population afterwards. And now Armenia has some territorial claims to Azerbaijan, trying to denigrate and discredit it and its people.What was the President supposed to say? What did you expect him to say? If the President states a fact, it does not mean that this fact should be a cause for rejection to participate at the contest.

Armenia has had no desire to take part from the very beginning, and all these plays with boycott and additional security guarantees are the links of one chain, and a part of a game the Armenian authorities played to cause damage to Azerbaijan.

 

[deese]

I hardly think Mr President of Azerbaijan's statement "our main enemies are Armenians of the world and the hypocritical and corrupt politicians under their control" created a friendly and Eurovision-like atmosphere for the Armenian's to participate, do you?

What about Armenian's president statement after Khojali's massacre?: "before Khojali Azeri people couldn't' believe that We, Armeinains can kill innocent people, we proved that we can"

Pls stop discussing things you have no idea about. In such conflicts the third side can only spoil everything, we try to maintain our relations somehow without fighting.
Again about their participation, from one side I feel sorry and I wanted to see them here cause we need to learn to communicate, on the side I was afraid of the provocation and our people's reaction to them. The contest is over one day but we 'll have to live with it whereas you'll return to your ordinary life.
So, at the moment their decision is the best for both sides.
Good luck Armenia, i hope to see you back in 2013 with a great song and I really want to believe that one day in 20... when we or you manage to win again there won't be any discussions like these ones anymore.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

@Master
If your President had said "our main enemies are the British of the world and the hypocritical and corrupt politicians under their control", I would have found that extremely threatening as well as disgraceful. Considering the already high-tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it makes it all the more worse.
The President is a dictator with no respect for anybody, not even his own citizens, I dont know why you defend him. But besides that point, he knew it was Eurovision soon, he knew the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan and he knew how the Armenian's were already feeling about it. He should have kept his mouth shut - if he didnt have anything positive to say, he shouldnt have said anything at all.
You have exposed the facts that many have tried to deny, what I have been saying all along that Armenia has been forced out because of the political disagreements - I dont want politics in my Eurovision thanks. Tbh, I cant wait for this year's edition to be over and we move on to somewhere else next year, and that is the first time I've ever thought that. Im just cannot be in the least bit arsed with all this crap, pathetic and sly comments, actions, etc. If you wanna constantly be in a state of war, constantly hating other nationalities, etc, fine, but Im not interested, and neither is the rest of Europe.