AZERBAIJAN’S MINISTRY OF CULTURE ADDRESSES “EUROVISION” CONTEST ORGANIZERS WITH LETTER OF PROTEST

Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 14 2006

Tbilisi, March 14 (Prime-News) – Statement of Ministry of Culture and
Tourism of Azerbaijan reads that the Ministry is worried with the
fact that the singer from Armenia – Andre notes his place of birth
as Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh at contest’s official site.

As a result, the letter was sent to contest organizers, where this fact
is recognized as “disrespect of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity”
and “provocation, which can be interpreted as support of Armenia’s
aggressive politics”.

Such facts can have a negative influence on the process of conflict
resolution, the statement reads.

‘Eurovision’ representatives have told that information about Andre
soon will be changed.

Svante Stockselius, European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) Executive
Supervisor of ‘Eurovision’, stated that the contest isn’t a political
event, and information on the official site has no hidden political
motives.

Singer Andre will represent Armenia at the contest, which will be
held in Athens on May 18-20. Armenia is the only country from South
Caucasus, which will participate in the prestigious song contest
organized by EBU.

Trend News agency informs that the Eurovision management corrected
the mistake on their website and have taken off all the materials on
the birthplace of Armenian singer Andre, who has mentioned it as the
Nagorno-Karabakh republic after the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of
Azerbaijan has addressed the contest organizers demanding to correct
the mistakes on their website, Abulfaz Garayev, Azerbaijani Minister
of Culture and Tourism, stated.