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Raimond Pauls: "Don't mix up culture and politics"
"Latvia shouldn't boycott", says composer
"I'm absolutely against mixing up culture and politics. Latvia must participate at Eurovision 2009". This is the opinion of the Latvian composer Raimond Pauls, who states that "Music does not mind about borders nor politics" to criticise the possible Estonian boycott to next year's Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Moscow, in response to the Russian-Georgian conflict on South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions.
The same situation could happen in neighbouring Lithuania. Mr Rimvydas Paleckis, head of the public broadcaster LRT, leaves the door open for a possible Lithuanian withdrawal too: "I think it is still too early to talk about it, but judging by the events and how Russia behaves, it is obvious that it might occur". Nonetheless, LRT officials still hope that the situation will cool down and if this happens, Lithuania would be represented in Moscow.
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@ Vladimir P
I totally agree with you in a way, but on the other hand, that shouldn't be regarded as an excuse to do whatever our heart desires. Everyone is to blame whenever they break International Law and specially when they disrespect People's freedom and Mankind in general. This not addressed exclusively to Russia or Georgia, but to absolutely every nation.
Maybe Eurovision is a Song Contest, but I cannot believe that Eurovision will be a great parade for Putin and Medvedev plans over Europe, as were the Olimpic Games in 1936 for Hitler's ones...
European broatcasters must to withdraw from Eurovision Song Contest, or well Beograd or Kyiv must host them insteat Moscow...
It isn't a minore question, is our future and our battle for our freedom against those whose wish to cut our liberties.
this will be a very childish act from these Baltic states, eurovision is just a song contest.
as for why Saakashvili made that stupid decision to attack ossetia, just look at the election polls in US. before that war Mccain had no chance to beat Obama after the war he is the favorite, neocons needed a "big bad boy" and they got it, i just feel sorry for innocent Georgian people,Saakashvili is the most incompetent president i have ever seen.
Boycott Russia!!!!
Latvia's broadcatser has confirmed they will not boycott Eurovision 2009.
@Owen
Do you think that USA and UK broke the international law when they bombed Serbia in 1999 and Iraq in 2003 completely ignoring UN Security Council ?
Do you think that these countries broke the international law when they recognised self-proclaimed independence of Kosovo?
Yes, I agree, Russia is breaking the international law. But USA, UK and other major EU countries have broken it first and they cannot demand from anyone else to respect it if they are the first one to break it? Have they ever been held liable because of not? Of course not.
Except that, Georgia started the military action first. Instead of using diplomacy and talks about the conditions under which these two regions would stay in Georgia, finding a way to improve relations and doing their best to have good relations with Russia, they chose a military action which finished with many dead innocent people on both sides.
We may discuss here who's right and who's wrong for the whol year, but it will be completely fruitless. Good politics means you're doing your best to provide the development of your country, the improvement of the living standard, good health care, education and, the most important, saving people's lives - and a good politician (here I don't mean morally good - I'm talking about skills) should do anything to provide this.
Moral in politics is like innocence in a whorehouse - there is no such thing. The only thing that matters is preventing wars, saving people's lives and providing them normal lives.
A Boycott would not work anyway regardles we need to keep Russia and the Russian people in the warm and not frow them back into the cold again , Very Recent survey in the UK gsaid that a majority of British people had some sympathy with Russia but they thought that Russia had used to much force .
We are not stopid in the worlld people can see through propoganda , lets hope things return to some normalcy soon 
i agree with black cat !! he is absolutely right!!
@ Owen
the South Ossetians (and the Abkhazians) have had de facto independence since 1991. They are NOT Georgian.
Georgians attacked South Ossetian civilians and Russian peacekeepers. WITH NO WARNING AT ALL.
Russia had the right to intervene thats why they had peacemakers there in the first place!!!!! so that Georgia would think before an attack!. and its easy to say 'they should wait' when its not your house bombed.
One day they waited it was already too late.
Innocent civilians were killed on both sides but MANY more in South Ossetia.
This was WAR and in war innocent people die too.
I feel sorry for EVERYONE who died or injured in this war but history cant change to suit the western media. Russia HAD TO help noone else would .
I dont care if they want to boycott I only want to say the truth because I am sick with all the wrong information I am sick that Georgia is the 'victim' when they were the attackers!
You say 'I stress that Russia as a member of the security council, as an ex-superpower, should act in a certain way'
and it did. Owen, if BRITISH civilians were slaughtered right next to you, how long would England wait?
Finally and for the last time FOR SOUTH OSSETIA RUSSIA WAS WHO SAVED THEM and I dont care why and noone cares why if they are saved by death and I hope you can understand this.
I am too sick with all this noone gives a shit for South Ossetia and the dead and the refugees and this is going on for years.
If there is justice in the world GEORGIA must be forbidden from everything but NO THEY ARE THE 'VICTIMS'. Its sickening.
Black Cat
Yes they have said that Russia tried to go to the UN, but one day is not enough! you have to give time for diplomacy to work! Russia did not! and they illegally invaded and now illegally occupy! it doesn't matter what they did in the day before that they have killed innocent people! and yes maybe Georgia did the same but they aren't holding Eurovision and no one can boycott them, there is no way for us as citizens of countries far away from the actual fighting to tell Georgia exactly how we feel about that, there IS a way for us to do that for Russia however!
Believe me if Georgia was hosting the contest there would probably as much up roar about what THEY did!
Now, I agree that as a South Ossetian I would not want any possible help that is on its way to be halted, HOWEVER there are conflicts like the one in South Ossetia across the world, Tibet, Darfur are just two! yet I don't see any big military power going in to help them! and the reason is, is there is a law against invading a sovereign country for a reason, if we could, countries would be invading other countries left right and center if they didn't agree with the government or if they didn't think the way the country was being run was correct! and independent nation HAS to have the right to do what it wants within its own boarders (obviously within reason), HOWEVER if those things DO as it seems to have done in Georgia infinge the civil rights of a minority for example then military action is the last, final and least desirable action! Russia bi-passed international law in not first trying to talk the Georgians down, even the US did that with Iraq!
Russia is in the wrong! Georgia and America might be too but that is not the topic of discussion! Russia broke international law! they invaded another sovereign state and killed innocent civilians! that in its self is a morally and internationally WRONG act! it doesn't matter what the other countries were or were not doing at the time!
Now I really dont understand where your coming from when you talk about the South Ossetians being killed by Georgia, yes they were, but what about the Georgian civilians killed by Russia? or are they not as important?
No one can take the moral highground in this situation HOWEVER, I stress that Russia as a member of the security council, as an ex-superpower, should act in a certain way! the fact it is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest (not to mention the Winter Olympics in 2016) mean that the eyes of the world are trained on it in a way that is not common for most other countries! They broke international law and the only way some smaller countries like Estonia and Latvia and Georgia can how their disgust in that, AS IS THEIR LEGAL RIGHT!, is to boycott Russia on the world stage, don't forget these countries are not on the security council they have relatively tiny populations, and therefore are not taken nearly as seriously on the world stage as some other nations, THIS is the only way they can show Russia that they do not agree with their actions!
@Owen
These are YOUR OWN WORDS :
The correct method would have been negotiation with the threat of military action, then appealing to the security council to use that military action against Georgia and if they get it and Georgia still doesn't back down THEN going into the country!
And I showed you this :
Louis Charbonneau of Reuters reported on August 8th, UN council split on South Ossetia, Russia angry. “…council diplomats said one phrase in it was unacceptable to Georgia, the United States and Europeans. That wording called on all sides in the conflict ‘to renounce the use of force’.
THE UNITED NATIONS REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING. How long was Russia supposed to wait while South Ossetians were killed???????????
Do you know that 80% of the capital was DAMAGED?
If it was YOUR country being destroyed how long would you say help must wait? One day? Two? A week??
Russia waited one day and in that ONE DAY there was so much destruction! We are talking about a small place of 70,000 people.
WHY DID THE UN, AMERICA AND EUROPE REFUSE TO RENOUNCE THE USE OF FORCE?
DOn't you see that they wanted this?????????
Has your TV ever said that Owen???????? Did anyone in England say that Russia asked the united nations to stop Georgia and they didnt do ANYTHING?
OR they told you that one morning suddenly Russia invaded Georgia because they had nothing better to do????
@Owen
Why don´t you think that the viewers havent got their own opinion? after all, we are not told by the different broadcasters to vote a certain way,are we? The most effective boycott, in my opinion are this years boycott of Ireland... It shows that if we are many enough the resulsts shows on the scoreboard..
This may come acrooss as a bit Bitchy, but believe me, i´m not....
John
This is a good idea but it would either mean everyone is TOLD not to vote for Russia, or the broadcaster accidentally on perpose forgets to tell everyone what number to call for Russia OR they just dont count any vote going to Russia, all of which would be even more unfair than a country giving points to the same country every year!
Nemke S and Black Cat
It is NOT the same thing because those countries didn't invade any other country in the same year that they will host an international event! therefore people COULDN'T boycott them in the same way they can with Russia!
YES the US and parts of the west have broken international law, and thats just as bad as Russia breaking international law! HOWEVER this is ESCtoday! not a BBC News Forum! things have to be taken from a Russo-European perspective! and as a host nation of Eurovision Russia is in the wrong!
Also your saying the US and the west broke international law in all these other places too, yet you still seem to think Russia is some how justified where as the US and UK and NATO aren't when they went into Kosovo for example! WHY is Russia different? The majority of people on here would say that the US and the west were just as bad as Russia in those situations, yet YOU are backing what they did in Georgia!
Thats REALLY consistent and unbiased! Well Done... NOT
Also if Russia DID recognise South Ossetia how would it be any different to Kosovo being recognised by the UK, US ect? Because they have been attacked by their master nation? If memory serves me Serbia attacked Kosovo too! so no difference there? or is it that Kosovo is pro-Western where as South Ossetia is pro-Russia? thats the only difference I can see!
If your gonna make accusations about other people being biased against Russia or Russophobic make sure your not being biased and inconsistent when you do it!
Why not hit where it hurt the most?
There is nothing more embarrasing for the host-nation than getting no points at all..
So why not boycott the Russian song next year, by not voting on it? it seems the most appropiate thing to do, if one should boycott anything at all.
Michael
Yes I see what you're saying but . .
Most of the people, if not all of the people are just going by what they have seen on TV, newspapers etc, which we all know is biased. The News reports in the west side with Georgia, and the pro-Russian countries will side with Russia. So I can tell you that nobody has a completely clear view of what is going on.
So people are just argueing about views which they think are right when in actual fact nobody here knows who is right. You all think you are right, but in actual fact none of you have a clear picture, which is why all of this argueing over the situation is POINTLESS
Lets be honest . . . .
None of us here are experts on the war and we never get the full picture from TV, news etc. So we're a bit clueless really, so shall we drop it?? please
Jonny, surely the great thing about an international forum like esc.com is to get the input from people who have knowledge, views and ideas to HELP us understand whats going on the world - just a thought!!
Vladimir - some interesting points and insight. There is no doubt in my mind that Europe is going to carry on fragmenting into smaller republics. Even here in the 'UK', Scotland is itching to break free!
I don't think any country should boycott or withdraw from Eurovision. I would understand if Georgia did it, but I would still like to see them in 2009. I don't think politics shoud have anything to do with Eurovision, but since so many people are talking about it, I might as well add my opinion of the whole situation.
First of all, I think Georgian government made a mistake by invading South Ossetia and they had no right to bomb the region and have ethnic cleansing of Ossetians - people there will never want to be part of Georgia again because of that. On the other hand, I also think Russia shoudn't have invaded Georgia - they had no right to send troops to the other country. I also think it would be a mistake to recognise the independance of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, because it would be breaking of international law.
But, I also think western countries have no right to preach anyone about the respect of international law, since they are the first ones breaking it. Major EU countries and USA insist on Kosovo being an "exception" (no law in the world recognises a term "exception" 
, but they claim those "exceptions" cannot be used for South Ossetia and other regions in the world. Well, I'm afraid I have bad news for you. Once you open Pandorra's box, you can't put the things back inside.
As I posted on the other thread . . .
Lets be honest . . . .
None of us here are experts on the war and we never get the full picture from TV, news etc. So we're a bit clueless really, so shall we drop it?? please
@Owen Williams
I assume the west and USA have not broken the internartional law when it came to Kosovo?!
Thats the same situation, They should be granted independace, why isnt the west supporting it now? huh?
And for all of you here, boycott it, who cares, its still gonna be fun o watch it without you!
And if Russia is smart enough, they should have juat conquered Georgia and had it over with!
Friends
I DONT WANT TO SUPPORT RUSSIA that is not my purpose I want to say THE TRUTH. Look in Estonia article and see WHO STARTED THIS WAR.
Even American ambassador in Russia SAID THAT RUSSIA WAS RIGHT TO DEFEND SOUTH OSSETIA and some from you are still not admiting it.
@Owen
America is not hosting Eurovision but THEY ARE TRAINING THE GEORGIAN ARMY and they are behind of all this because Europe is scared to disagree with it. They let America lead things to this like they let it drag them to Afghanistan.
Well, less points to Russia next year if Estonia and Lithuania aren't in the contest. But anyway, as I posted before, I don't think boycott is a solution. In the end, Estonia, Latvia an dLithuania always give high points to Russia, and I don't mind if it's because there are a lot of Russians in the Baltic states, but the fact is the same. The only reason of boycotting Moscow 2009 should be because of the voting system. That's why some countries such as Austria aren't competing.
Exactly, drusus. This conflict is not as black and white as some people on here seem to think. Let's not forget that the war started as a direct result of one of the most stupid decisions in world history, that Mikheil Saakashvili ordered Georgian troops to go into South Ossetia. Just before the Olympics. God only know what he was thinking. But we all know that this conflict could have been avoided - by him.
He's right but I doubt a composer can really decide about participation - if Estonia and Lithuania " should " withdraw, there will be much pressure on Latvia to follow their example.
On the other hand, the " war " is over, there is no serious reason for boycotting the ESC anymore ! And who is/was " protesting " about Saaksvili's attacks on South Ossetia btw ? This is how the war started, Russia was not the first to attack !!
Black Cat
You are forgetting this convo is not about America, believe me if it was i'm sure there would be a LOT of critisism, the reason no one is saying anything about America is because this article in no way connects with what they are doing in any part of the world! Afghanistan Iraq or else where.
HOWEVER the USA is not hosting the Eurovision song contest, or any other major international event next year for that matter! RUSSIA IS however! and they have broken international law! that is NOT something anyone can justify! they have killed innocent people! WHY are you continuing to back Russia in this madness?
YES other countries are doing similar things and other countries are by no means perfect but this is about Russia no about anyone else! Believe me if ESC was being held in the USA I would be raising the same concerns!
The same Afghanistan that Americans BOMBING now and nobody gives a shit! Nobody dares to say anything to America!
I think you'll find the force in Afghanistan is made up of the US, Canada,UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Estonia, Romania and Denmark. As a citizen of a country that has lost over 100 troops in Afghanistan, and as someone whose family has seen active service helping the real citizens of Afghanistan, I can assure you that many people throughout the UK & Europe DO care about what happens in that country. It effects us all in so many ways.
I
@jonny stonver
The same Afghanistan that Americans BOMBING now and nobody gives a shit! Nobody dares to say anything to America!
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