YEREVAN, 23 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Eurovision Song Contest is important for the countries of the South Caucasus and serves as a good opportunity for those countries to be seen and heard in the international arena. As “Armenpress” reports, this is mentioned in the article entitled “The Armenian Genocide, as Power Ballad”.

 The expenses made for organizing the Eurovision Song Contest also show how important the contest is in the South Caucasus. When Azerbaijan won Eurovision in 2011 and obtained the right to host the next contest in Azerbaijan, it spent about $721 million dollars, of which $277 million was spent on the construction of a new concert hall. For comparison, let us mention that Norway spent only $37 million dollars to host the contest in 2010.

 In Foreign Policy it is mentioned that there have been many political clashes and incidents throughout the history of the song contest. This time, in the year marking the 60^th anniversary of the song contest, Armenia is being represented at the song contest in Vienna with a symbolic group and song. With the slogan “6 performers, 6 destinies, 1 story”, the stage of Eurovision Song Contest will bring together members of the group symbolizing 5 continents, including Essaï Altounian, Tamar Kaprelian, Vahe Tilbian, Stephanie Topalian, Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian and Inga Arshakyan. What brings the six singers together is music, roots, love and solidarity.

 In 2009, Azerbaijan’s team submitted an official complaint to the contest organizers with the demand to remove the “We Are Our Mountains” statue symbolizing Nagorno-Karabakh portrayed in the music video representing Armenia at the semi-final.

 In 2012, Armenia didn’t participate in the song contest in Baku. Just months before the contest, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev had declared that “the Armenians of the world are our enemies”.

 Armenia’s neighbor, Georgia has also been in a politically tense situation during the song contest. In 2009, Georgia was represented with the song “We Don’t Wanna Put In”, which hinted the 2008 Georgian-Russian war. Despite that, Georgia claimed that there were no political claims in the song.

 Thus, the Eurovision Song Contest is of special significance in a region where there are many historic enemies and frozen conflicts and where the ultimate goal is not to win, but to defend national dignity.