NO SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, AS ARMENIA MULLS EUROVISION BLACKOUT
Anna Barseghian
Radio Free Europe
May 22, 2012
Say you find yourself in Armenia on May 26 and you fancy a little
Saturday-night TV.
There's "TV Restaurant," a competition between local lounge singers,
the "Armenians of the World" documentary series, or the comedy show
"Vitamin Club," which promises to "heal everyone with healthy humor
and laughter."
But the one thing that might not be on? The Eurovision Song Contest,
a once-a-year musical megaspectacle that is expected to draw more
than 125 million viewers worldwide as it crowns a new country the
king of frothy, and often forgettable, pop.
Armenia, which first competed in Eurovision in 2006, has shown little
enthusiasm for this year's contest, which is being hosted by its
neighbor and nemesis, Azerbaijan.
Yerevan in March announced it was pulling out of the competition,
citing the death of an Armenian soldier in an Azerbaijani sniper
attack and rising tensions in its dispute with Baku over the disputed
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The decision meant an end to the Eurovision dreams of Armenian
musicians competing for the right to represent their country, including
the band Dorians with their song "This is Our World:"
Eurovision officials were quick to penalize Armenia for the pullout,
saying it was still obligated to pay its full participation fees as
well as a hefty fine.
They added that Armenia's H1 public television station, a member of
the European Broadcasting Union which runs Eurovision, must broadcast
the May 26 final "live, with no interruptions," or be banned outright
from next year's Eurovision contest.
Playing It Cool
The threat of exclusion from Europe's biggest party might strike fear
in many countries, but Armenia is playing it cool, saying it has yet
to decide whether or not it will broadcast the final.
When speaking to RFE/RL's Armenian Service late last week, the head
of Armenia's delegation to Eurovision, Gohar Gasparyan, declined to
comment on when a decision would be made.
"All I can say is that we'll probably show the contest," she said.
"I'd like to state once again that there has been no penalty or
sanction here. These are just points that we are obliged to follow. I
think the winner [of this year's contest] will be a country that
won't pose any further problems in terms of our participation."
Eurovision isn't the only global event that Armenia is taking a
pass on.
The country also boycotted the May 20-21 NATO summit in Chicago,
protesting a declaration adopted by the group's 28 member states that
Yerevan said was biased in favor of Azerbaijan.
The declaration, which mentions the breakaway Azerbaijani region
of Nagorno-Karabakh among other unresolved land disputes, appears
to endorse the principle of territorial integrity -- a stance that
suits Azerbaijan.
Armenia has long argued that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh -- who
are predominantly ethnic Armenians -- should be given the right to
self-determination.
Mixed Emotions
Armenians, meanwhile, appear torn about a night without Eurovision.
The Armenian singer Hayko, who represented his country at the 2007
Eurovision contest in Helsinki, said it would be "weak" of the
Armenians not to show it.
"I think that it's worth showing, because regardless of where
Eurovision is being held, it's still a celebration of music and is
the best European song contest," he said. "As a musician, I'm very
interested to see how it will look this year."
One Yerevan resident agreed, maintaining that he enjoyed watching
Eurovision and hoped the broadcast would proceed.
"Yes, I would definitely watch it even if we don't have our own
person there," he said. "Eurovision is still interesting for me. Who
will get what? Who will end up in what place? Which country will win
the contest? That way I know where our participant will go for the
next Eurovision."
One Yerevan woman claimed she had no interest in watching any event
being hosted by Azerbaijan, whether it was broadcast in Armenia or not:
"Anything that's connected to Azerbaijan has nothing to do with us,"
she said.
If some Armenians are surviving without Eurovision, it appears
Eurovision is surviving without Armenia as well.
A German DJ performing at an official Eurovision fan club in Baku
earlier this week was interrupted when he attempted to play Armenian
music.
Such music, it was suggested, has no place in a competition that
Yerevan has so roundly rejected.
"Armenia unexpectedly refused to participate in Eurovision 2012 without
apologizing," said Kamran Agasy, a Eurovision spokesman. "What will
our volunteers think if they suddenly hear Armenian melodies?"
Written in Prague by Daisy Sindelar, based on reporting in Yerevan
by Anna Barseghian from RFE/RL's Armenian Service