Armenian TV has decided not to go ahead with an entry for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. The reason remains vague, but the broadcaster responsible posted something about two years not being enough time to find a three-minute song and someone willing to perform it in front of 180 million people.
To be fair, the ongoing political situation in Armenia, likely pushes Eurovision way down the list of priorities. Last week PM Nikol Pashinyan warned of an attempted military coup. Opponents blame him for Armenia’s defeat by Azerbaijan in a disputed region.
Here’s the official statement:
“After careful and detailed discussions, the Public Television Company of Armenia has decided to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, considering the latest events, the shortness of production time as well as other objective reasons that make the proper participation of Armenia at ESC 2021 impossible.”
And here’s the EBU trying to put a brave (though ungrammatical) face on things:
“The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) community is deeply sorry that AMPTV has decided to withdraw from participating in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Armenia have a great record at the Eurovision Song Contest and always bring excitement and quality performances to the stage. We understand the reasons for their withdrawal and we will miss their hard working and professional delegation in Rotterdam. We very much hope to welcome Armenia back in 2022.”