Azerbaijan, UAE withdraw from Intervision 2025 song contest

Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates will not take part in the Intervision 2025 song contest in Moscow, the competition’s official Instagram account said on Wednesday.

The organizers cited “internal issues, lack of preparation time and a busy schedule” as reasons for the withdrawal.

In June, Russian news agency TASS reported that Azerbaijan had been listed among the participating countries. The contest is scheduled for Sept. 20 in Moscow.

So far, 21 countries have confirmed their participation, including the United States, Russia’s Foreign Ministry official Alexander Alimov said. The list also includes Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kenya, China, Colombia, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia and South Africa.