Azeri broadcaster iTV has announced that the country's representative in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest has been selected internally. The name of the performer is yet to be revealed but expected to be made public during a press conference on Saturday. Whether a national final will be held to choose the song has not been decided yet.

About 40 singers responded to the Azerbaijani broadcaster's call for songs, among them Nura Suri, Gunesh Abbasova, Aysel Teimurzadeh, Arzum, Azad Shukurov, Vusala Seidova, Emin Hasan, Elnara, Natavan Habibi and Sevda Yahyaeva. Although the decision of ITV was expected some time towards the end of 2008, it is now believed that they have just decided that newcomer RnB singer Aysel Teymurzadeh, who is hardly known in Azerbaijan, will represent the country in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Tomorrow (Saturday) a press conference will be held in Baku when the singer will be presented as the country's entrant for Moscow.

Although in November last year, the plan of the Azeri broadcaster was to hold and equally impressive national final this year as the 2008 Land of fires, it still remains to be decided how the song will be selected. ITV has launched an open call for song and Interested composers are now invited to submit CDs with their entries over the next week. There are no major restrictions regarding the writers but the entries of course have to follow the general Eurovision Song Contest rules.

In 2008, Azerbaijan debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest. Elnur & Samir finished 6th in the first semi final and 8th in the final in Belgrade with their entry Day after day.

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