Italian Presenter Covering Eurovision Did Not Intend to Insult the Armenian People

Yesterday, during the Eurovision competition broadcast on Italy's 4th public channel, the presenters spoke disrespectfully about Armenia, stating that Armenia is not participating in the competition due to having lost the war against Azerbaijan and lacking funds. According to the presenters, not only did Azerbaijan defeat Armenia but also reached the finals with great chances of winning.

The Armenian embassy in Italy has issued a statement regarding the topic, stating that the Italian Eurovision presenter did not intend to insult the Armenian people. “Dear compatriots and friends, in recent days, the embassy has received numerous letters and calls regarding the inappropriate expressions made by the Italian presenter during the broadcast of the Eurovision semi-final. We would like to inform you that in response to Ambassador Zovinar Hambardzumyan’s letter, Roberta Enni, the director of Rai Gold (which coordinates the Rai 4, Rai Premium, and Rai Movie channels), expressed deep regret that the commentary regarding Armenia's absence from Eurovision was perceived as disrespectful.

She noted that the presenter had no such intention, rather, he wanted to emphasize that all conflicts inevitably affect everyone involved. Ms. Enni expressed her sorrow that the presenter’s comments unintentionally caused dissatisfaction and conveyed her solidarity with the Armenian people and all the nations suffering through the atrocities of war.

In response to the complaints raised by the Armenian community, presenter Raimondo Saverio also expressed his regret, reaffirming that he had no intention of making offensive statements. He emphasized that being fundamentally a pacifist, he aimed to highlight how grotesque and absurd the consequences of wars are. He stated that he intended to underscore the dramatic imbalance of the situation and admitted that he did not succeed in that, acknowledging that he expressed himself poorly and is very sorry for it.”