The Prime Minister of Ukraine has invited the President of the European Commission to visit Ukraine for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.
At a press conference today in Brussels, the Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman invited the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker to visit Ukraine this May. The President of the European Commission has been invited to visit while the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is being staged in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The last time that Jean-Claude Juncker visited Ukraine was in 2007 when he was still the President of Luxembourg. Mr Groysman stated during the press conference that:
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you and all the citizens of the European Union to visit Ukraine in May, when we will host the Eurovision Contest.
The invitation to Mr Juncker comes as preparations are in full swing for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. At the end of January the stage design for this years contest in Kyiv was revealed, while the running order allocation draw was also held. Delays have however occurred with regards to ticket sales following a ruling by the Anti-Monopoly committee earlier this week, the EBU and Ukrainian broadcaster are working to resolve these issues.
While it is unheard of in recent years for foreign leaders to be invited to the Eurovision Song Contest, politicians have had key roles in the event in the past. In 1996 when the contest was hosted in Oslo, the postcards shown before each performance featured a good luck message from a politician in each country. This ranged from the President of Turkey to the State Secretary of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. Furthermore in 2005 the then Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko presented the winners trophy.
A total of 43 countries are to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Returning to the Eurovision stage are Portugal and Romania who both took a year out from the contest. Bosnia & Herzegovina has however withdrawn from the contest due to financial difficulties at the national broadcaster, BHRT. The 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is being held on the following dates:
- Semi Final 1 – 9 May
- Semi Final 2 – 11 May
- Final – 13 May
Source: Ukrinform
