Intervision is an alternative to the Eurovision contest.

Singers from 23 countries, including Russia, Belarus, China, and the United States, will participate in the competition, which will be held at the Live Arena in Moscow on October 20. Russia will be represented by Yaroslav Dronov, known by his nickname "Shaman."

Competitors will sing in their respective national languages. The rankings will be determined by a jury comprised of representatives from participating countries.

The competition is planned to be held annually.

A press conference was held in Moscow ahead of the Intervision contest. Attendees included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration and Chairman of the contest's Supervisory Board Sergey Kiriyenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the contest's Organizing Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko, and General Director of Russian state television channel Pervy Konstantin Ernst.

Lavrov, speaking at the event, provided information about the Intervision contest, saying, "The number of participants is 23. That's a good number. If this number increases in the future, the contest concept will be changed. There are no restrictions or criteria. The only criterion is the promotion of national culture and traditions."

Lavrov, noting that the United States will also be represented in the competition, said, "The US administration did not object to this, saying it was leaving it to the artists' initiative. The US administration will not be represented on the jury and will not send an official delegation."

Lavrov shared his hope that the competition would be held annually, adding that several countries had offered to host the next competition.

Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration, Kiriyenko, also stated that singers from some countries wanted to participate in this competition, saying, "However, their wishes did not coincide with the administration of their countries."

DIALOGUE IS OPEN

Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshenko also emphasized Russia's openness to dialogue in the cultural sphere. Ernst, General Manager of Russian state television's Pervy Channel, shared that they will broadcast the Intervision contest and that artificial intelligence technologies will be used during the broadcast.

Russia was banned from Eurovision

Russia was indefinitely banned from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022 following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree in February establishing an international song contest, Intervision, as an alternative to Eurovision.

Source: AA