STOCKHOLM (ABC News)—Eurovision Song Contest officials have condemned Armenia’s contestant for raising the flag of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian singer Iveta Mukuchyan waved the flag during a qualifying event late Tuesday.
The European Broadcasting Union, the alliance of public broadcasters that produces the annual contest, on Wednesday called the incident a “serious breach” of its ban on political messages.
It said Armenia’s public broadcaster would face yet-to-be-determined sanctions and that “any further breach of the rules of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest could lead to disqualification from this year’s event or any successive editions.”
“What Armenia wants is just peace,” Mukuchyan told reporters at the Winners’ press conference on Tuesday when a reporter asked about her Artsakh flag.
“My heart, my thoughts, my feelings and my emotions are with my Motherland. I just want peace on the borders. Armenia wants just peace. That’s why I wrote this song. I just want to spread loves,” Mukuchyan continued.
“I put up the flag because I want people to concentrate on that. I just want peace in this world,” she added.
Contestants from both Armenia and Azerbaijan qualified for the Eurovision final on Saturday together with Russia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Malta.
Mukuchyan will perform during the second half of the Grand Finale on Saturday.
Bravo Iveta !!
Denying this flag is equal to denying the right of nation , an ethnic group to exist-
What are talking these “Eurovision official”? What did they expect that she had to raise?Sorry, maybe, the heard of a behead Armenian solder by the fascists in Baku ?
Shame on Eurovision officials for there stupid and racist reactions!
The hell with them. Long live Artsakh.
Eurovision considers this political? Why? Weren’t we the ones who were attacked? Weren’t we the ones being ethnically cleansed and put through genocide? I say we leave the competition. It’s a joke at this point, anyway. Bravo, Iveta! Ապրի՜ս Իվեդա ջան:
Pushing the flag of NKR in forums like this with prior knowledge that it is against the rules is childish and counter productive. I really don’t know what can be gained that way ? Who are the Eurovision viewers to influence anything of substance anyway.
This sort of things has limited local ( armenia) appeal of very childish level period.
Iveta would bring more attention to the issue once she is a winner . This sort of thing can potentially influence the jury negativity and influence it against her chances ow winning. Once again we Armenians giving in to emotions and can loose out on real gains . I think the whole Flag thing is ill advised and counterproductive.
She did the absolute right thing of raising the flag of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. She does not deserve to be condemned for fighting to promote the international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent and free nation. She is sending a message to the entire world saying that it is time to end the Nagorno-Karabkah conflict give the Nagorno-Karabkah citizens the full inviolable right to self-determination. Long LIve Artstakh.