🇹🇲 Turkmenistan Withdraws From the ABU Song Festival 2025

With days to go until the ABU Song Festival 2025 in Mongolia, Turkmenistan has withdrawn from the show.

The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union has released an updated list of participants in the ABU Song Festival 2025, with Turkmenistan no longer listed among the participants. Turkmenistan had been due to be represented by Rustem Hallyyev with “Bady Sabany görýärin” in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on September 13. This is the first edition of the event since 2021 not to feature Turkmenistan among the participants.

Nine countries have been announced by the ABU as taking to the stage at the Tsonjin Boldog on September 13. Tsonjin Boldog is the location of one of Mongolia’s most iconic structures, the Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, which was opened in 2008.

The participants, artists and songs are:

•  Bhutan (BBS) – Pema Samdrup – “The song of you”
•  Hong Kong (TVB) – Huang Bo – “A Kind of Perseverance”
•  India (DD) – Savani Ravindra Ghangurde – “Rang De“
•  Japan (NHK) – Ms.OOJA – “Be…“
•  South Korea (KBS) – Kwon Eun Bi – “Underwater“
•  Macau (TDM) – Elisa Chan – “Eat or Sleep“
•  Malaysia (RTM) – Nadeera – “Bukan Lagi Kita“
•  Mongolia (MNB) – The HU – “Wolf Totem“
•  Turkey (TRT) – Orhan Çakmak – “Türkiyem“

The ABU TV Song Festival has been rebranded for the 2025 edition as the ABU Song Festival. This follows a discussion in 2024 to open the ABU TV Song Festival up to radio members, after the ABU Radio Song Festival was last held in 2019.

The 14th edition of the ABU Song Festival is set to take place in the Mongolian capital on September 13. The ABU TV Song Festival was held for the first time in 2012 and is a non-competitive showcase from across the Asia-Pacific region.

Image Source: ABU | Source: ABU