Ukraine officially refused to participate in Eurovision-2019

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National Public TV and Radio Company of Ukraine (NSTU) announced that Ukraine will not take part in Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The relevant information is published by the press center NSTU.

“The winner of National selection for the current Eurovision Song Contest was singer MARUV, which Public Broadcaster, like it does every year, offered to conclude an agreement to represent Ukraine at the song contest. However, after the negotiations, MARUV refused to sign the contract. There is an alternative way to determine the representative of Ukraine at Eurovision-2019 rules is to recognize direct appointment by the customer. That is, Public Broadcaster could choose any performer not from among the participants of the National Selection,” the message says.

It is noted that the television and radio company alternately turned to the finalists, who took second and third place based on results of National Selection. Freedom Jazz and Kazka also refused to participate in Eurovision-2019.

“Competition is an opportunity for each country to declare itself on the international arena, and for each performer to act as ambassador of their country and get fans all over the world. But National Selection-2019 discovered and drew public attention to system problem of music industry in Ukraine: the connections of artists with show business in the territory of the aggressor state, which are still very close in the 5th year of the military conflict. For a part of society, this fact is acceptable, the rest of them are outraged and rejected,” the press center reminds.

“The laws of Ukraine do not provide any restrictions on the work of performers and artists on the territory of the Russian Federation, despite a large public request to resolve this situation. In the current situation, following the Law on Public Broadcasting, as well as in the conditions of excessive politicization of the National Selection course, the Public Broadcaster decided to refuse to participate in the International Eurovision Song Contest 2019,” the Public Broadcaster of Ukraine summed up.