Following an interiew on Turkish local media where the General Director of TRT, Mr. Ibrahim Eren, revealed that TRT is in talks with the EBU regarding Eurovision, the fan media platforms have gone into a frenzy speculating Turkey’s potential return to the contest! Will we see Turkey back in the contest in 2022?

Turkish media platform, Milliyet, interviewed TRT’s General Director Mr. Ibrahim Eren on various topics concerning TRT and brought up the Eurovision Song Contest on the table and Turkey’s role in it. Mr. Ibrahim told Milliyet that TRT was in talks with the EBU regarding the Eurovision Song Contest:

TRT has taken a decision on this matter in the past.

We will not participate until the scoring system is changed. Our Board of Directors still continues with the same decision, but meanwhile, we are also in talks with Eurovision.

A very good person came to ‘Eurovision’ from Northern Europe. I think this year was very successful. After a long time, they had a nice competition. Our team has started meetings with the newcomer. I don’t know what will happen?

This has sparked much excitement and anticipation amongst the Eurovision fan fraternity regarding the country’s much awaited return to the competition. Turkey withdrew from the competition in 2013 and has not returned since citing its discontent with the BIG 5 rule and voting system.

The deadline for countries to apply for participation for Eurovision 2022 is set to conclude by mid September, whilst the grace period for countries to withdraw their application without a penalty concludes by mid October.

Hence we will have to wait for a few months in order to find out if Turkey does intend to join the Eurovision family after a 9 year hiatus or if it will continue its absence from the event for yet another year.

Turkey in Eurovision

Turkey debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975 and has won the event once in 2003 with Sertab Erener‘s Every that I can. The country has partaken 34 times in the Eurovision Song Contest and has been absent from the competition since 2013.

Turkey has placed 6 times in the TOP 5 in its 34 year history in the competition including 1 victory (2003), 1 2nd placing (2010),  1 3rd placing (1997) and 3 4th placings ( 2004, 2007, 2009)

Source: Milliyet/ ESCToday
Cover photo credit: TRT