Armenian singers reject Baku-hosted Eurovision over soldier deathFebruary 23, 2012 - 22:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian singers issued a statement expressing refusal to participate in Baku-hosted Eurovision 2012 song contest, following the February 23 death of an Armenian soldier in Azeri sniper attack. “We refuse to perform in a country, notorious for mass killings and massacres of Armenians, a country where hatred for Armenian people is a part of governmental policy, a country banning the entrance of any person of Armenian nationality regardless of citizenship,” the statement said. The performers reiterated their distrust for Azeri security guarantees, citing the murder of Gurgen Margaryan at the hand of Azeri officer at Budapest-hosted NATO seminar. The Armenian singers stressed willingness to participate in Eurovision with other country selected as a host, as well as intention to take part in future contests. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |