Sergey Lavrov comments on exclusion of Belarusian performers from Eurovision

1 апреля 2021
The decision of Eurovision organizers to ban Belarus from the contest is sheercensorship, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. It is a vivid example of bias and double standards in the song contest congruent neither withthe notion of culture, nor with the notorious democratic values to which the EU allegedly adheres.

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister: "The attitude of Eurovision contest to the Belarusians is disgusting. This is sheer censorship. What kind of art is this, what kind of culture is this, what kind of democracy is this? There were a lot of compositions with political content at Eurovision including the hymn of the Orange Revolution or the song about the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, It is even pleasant that a harmless Belarusian song about a reed pipe was taken so seriously. A linguist was involved in search of hidden meanings. But ultimately, they couldn't tell what words of the song are related to politics."