The European Broadcasting Union revealed that AMPTV, Armenia’s national broadcaster, has withdrawn from the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.
The announcement came on Friday morning, as information regarding the selection:
“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.”
Armenia is currently in the grip of a political crisis, with widespread demonstrations sweeping the country. As a result, Armenia has had to take the political landscape into consideration – which unfortunately has led to the country withdrawing from the Contest.
Armenia was meant to perform in the second semi-final, using the same running order as in the 2020 Contest. Armenia selected Athena Manoukian to represent the nation in 2020 with the song “Chains on You”. However, following the cancellation of the Contest, never confirmed if Manoukian would represent the country again.
This is the second time Armenia has withdrawn from the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2012, Armenia also withdrew as there were concerns for the safety of their artists in the host country of Azerbaijan.
What do you think? Do you understand why Armenia decided to withdraw? Do you hope they will return next year? As always, please do tell us know what you think by commenting below and getting involved in our social media channels!
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