Iveta Mukuchyan's Strong Response to Azerbaijan's Representative at Eurovision 2016

Days ago, singer Iveta Mukuchyan, who represented Armenia at the Eurovision held in Sweden in 2016, announced on her social media pages that she had received an invitation from Germany to participate in Eurovision 2021 as that country’s representative. However, days later, she received a call from the press service stating that the decision had been changed, which, according to the singer, is likely related to her well-known action of waving the Artsakh flag in 2016, aimed at raising international awareness about the events occurring in Artsakh.

In connection with this topic, the representative of Azerbaijan at Eurovision 2016, Samra, expressed her opinion in the comments section of one of Mukuchyan's Instagram posts, stating that when she represented Azerbaijan, they did not present themselves as "aggressors," but rather as "game players." Samra also added that when she answered journalists' questions, everyone admired her, while when Iveta Mukuchyan brought politics into the music competition, it only angered journalists, who reacted negatively and even booed.

Meanwhile, during a press conference, Mukuchyan responded to a question from one of the Swedish journalists (starting at 20:55 in the video) about how she would comment on her action of waving the flag, emphasizing that the Artsakh flag is considered one of the most politicized flags in Europe. "To be honest, I expected this question. You should not forget that I represent my country. It is my heart, my soul, my feelings. I just want peace to prevail at the borders," the singer stated.

Iveta Mukuchyan stressed that being an Armenian living in Germany, she regards herself as a citizen of the world and desires love and peace to reign globally. Samra also pointed out that Mukuchyan had personally expressed the desire to represent Germany, but she was unsuccessful in that endeavor.

Mukuchyan has released a statement responding to the Azerbaijani singer's comments: "People who reserve the right to speak about peace, humanity, and European values are those for whom these values are summarized by bombarding maternity wards or churches, shelling residential areas, killing people, deceiving, and cheating many. As an Armenian living in Germany and a citizen of the world, I know very well what the weight of a person's words is, and every word and action I take has clear evidence and an addressee. Eurovision also gives the world a unique 'lesson' on respecting the views and approaches of the other side. However, it seems that not everyone is capable of understanding the meaning of civilized discourse. As for relations with Germany, everything is very good, and the claims mentioned are baseless."