ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN: EUROVISION CONTEST PUTS MUSICAL TWIST ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH DISPUTE
Gayane Abrahamyan and Jessica Powley Hayden

Eurasianet
ticles/eav051809a.shtml
May 18, 2009

For most television viewers, Eurovision 2009, with all its spangled
costumes and schmaltzy tunes, was nothing more than a light-hearted,
fun-filled singing contest. But for those watching in Armenia and
Azerbaijan, the show became another front in the long-running struggle
over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan both made it into Eurovision’s May 16 finals,
which took place in Moscow’s Olympisky Arena. Amid speculation that
the two countries nearing a peace deal to settle their 21-year dispute
over Karabakh, viewers in both Yerevan and Baku were keeping a close
eye on the opposing side’s musical moves.

Nineteen-year-old Baku resident Aysel Teymurzadeh and her
Iranian-Swedish pop star partner Arash Labaf delivered a third-place
finish for Azerbaijan. The Armenian sister duo Inga and Anush Arshakyan
came in 10th in the 25-spot finals.

First place went to a performer from a comparatively non-controversial
country — 23-year-old Alexander Rybak of Norway.

Outside of the South Caucasus, the focus of the Eurovision competition
may have been on the glitz and glamor.

But for many Baku residents, Azerbaijan’s third-place finish was
laden with geopolitical significance. "We came in third place and it
was just great that we beat our enemy Armenia," commented graduate
student Samir Salakhov.

Seeking to capitalize on the good public relations generated by
Azerbaijani duo’s third-place showing, President Ilham Aliyev
telephoned Aysel and Arash on May 17, telling them that they had
"worthily represented Azerbaijan in Europe," the Trend news agency
reported.

In Yerevan, Eurovision fans were more disappointed that an image
from Karabakh had been removed from the Armenian performers’ final
video than with the sisters’ 10th-place finish. The video had shown
Karabakh’s 1967 "Tatik and Papik" ("Grandmother and Grandfather")
monument, which has become a symbol for the territory and its
separatist, ethnic Armenian government. (Some Armenians argue that
the government is "unrecognized," rather than "separatist.")

"This is extremely unfair! The sculpture belongs to an Armenian artist
[Sarghis Baghdasarian – ed] and has been symbolizing Armenia from
Soviet times," fumed 25-year-old Anush Minasian, one of scores of
young Eurovision fans who gathered to watch the show at Yerevan’s
hipster Bunker Club.

Eurovision’s Russian hosts opted to have the image removed from the
Armenian video after Azerbaijani officials protested. Prior to the
decision, Azerbaijani media outlets lambasted the monument’s inclusion
in the video. One outlet, the news website Day.az, said in a commentary
that "the Armenians and their friends from the Eurovision steering
committee used this monument [for] provocative political purposes."

The Russian decision to remove the controversial video segment
naturally caused consternation in Yerevan. Many of the fans gathered
at Yerevan’s Bunker Club argued that the Armenian contestants should
have pulled out of the Eurovision finals in response.

Armenia, however, found a way to air its protest. As vote tallies
were called in from Eurovision’s 42 participating countries, a
live-broadcast on Yerevan’s Republic Square featured a large screen
with the Nagorno-Karabakh statue. The presenter, Sirusho, Armenia’s
2008 Eurovision contestant, raised a clipboard as she spoke which
also included an image of the monument.

But further geopolitical swats were in the works. Under contest
rules, residents of finalist countries cannot vote for their own
contestants. Instead, votes must be given to other countries.

This year, Turkey’s voters gave 12 points (the highest score possible)
to ally Azerbaijan, while Azerbaijan returned the favor. Azerbaijan
gave no votes to Armenia, but Armenia voters did provide one vote for
Azerbaijan. Four votes from Armenia went to Turkey (which reciprocated
with six votes), and the maximum 12 to ally Russia.

But the fact that Armenia received only five votes in return from
Russia and six votes from France, home to a sizable Armenian Diaspora,
stirred further controversy within Yerevan. "This is a politicized
contest and is highly unpredictable," commented Armenian Public
Television host Ashot Mikayelian.

Most Eurovision viewers, however, likely missed the Armenia-Azerbaijan
bickering.

Editor’s Note: Gayane Abrahamyan is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com in
Yerevan. Jessica Powley Hayden is a freelance reporter in Baku.