Baku: Azerbaijan’s Eurovision delegation has firmly denied reports suggesting the country’s potential withdrawal from the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel does not participate.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Turab Teymurov, head of media for Azerbaijan’s Eurovision delegation, clarified that the claims are unfounded.
Teymurov stated that Azerbaijan does not engage in political considerations regarding the contest, whether related to Israel or any other country. The reports originated from some Turkish media outlets and social media accounts, which speculated that Azerbaijan would skip Eurovision 2026 if Israel were absent.
Last week, Azeri-Press News Agency reported that at an event in Dubrovnik on September 15-16, six countries-Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands-had reportedly stated their intention to withdraw if Israel is allowed to participate. However, no official discussions on this matter took place during the event, and Azerbaijan made no statements in support of the proposal.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) member countries will vote on Israel’s participation at the EBU General Assembly in Geneva, scheduled for December 2-4. The decision rests with the EBU members rather than the contest organizers. Consequently, the deadline for countries to withdraw without facing financial penalties has been extended to December 10.