Eurovision should not be politicized - Azerbaijani foreign minister.

News.Az - The Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Baku in May, should not be politicized, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has said.
The minister made the remarks in an interview to Germany's Die Welt newspaper.

He was asked whether he feared an escalation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh during the Eurovision Song Contest, following Armenia's withdrawal from the competition last week.
"The Eurovision Song Contest should not be politicized, especially not over this conflict," the minister said.
"The Nagorno-Karabakh region is part of our state and has been occupied by Armenia for 20 years, despite all the resolutions of the United Nations calling for the withdrawal of the Armenian military. Although all negotiations have failed so far, we are ready for further talks to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The status quo is unacceptable. I hope that the Armenian leadership will have the political wisdom eventually to find a solution together."
He dismissed criticism that the opposition and journalists were unable to work freely in Azerbaijan.
Asked how he would improve Human Rights Watch's description of Baku as "a hostile place" for journalists and the opposition, Elmar Mammadyarov said: "Democratization, respect for human rights and the rule of law have been priorities in our policy since independence. We are members of many international organizations, whose requirements we meet: the UN, Council of Europe, OSCE. We have political parties, including opposition parties. They can work freely, many of them have their own newspapers and websites where they openly set out their position and can also criticize the regime. No-one forbids free expression."
Asked about plans to hold a rival Sing for Democracy contest, Elmar Mammadyarov said:
"To be honest, I don't see the point. The Eurovision Song Contest is primarily a cultural event, not a political one. And we have freedom of song as well as freedom of speech. If someone wants to sing, let them sing. That's the spirit of Eurovision!"