Kazakhstan's potential debut at Eurovision to be discussed 'early next year'

Documents out of Kazakhstan today reveal that a potential Eurovision debut has been discussed with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The information, revealed by ESC KAZ, comes from the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan.

The document states that:

"The Ministry highly values the importance of the Eurovision Song Contest as one of the world’s leading creative platforms, and recognises its significant role in cultural exchange and in promoting national art at the global level."

It also reveals that over the summer, there was a meeting between Kazakh's broadcaster Khabar Agency and the Director General of the EBU Noel Curran.

The papers state that:

"At present, the EBU has not made a decision on this matter, and the issue will be considered at the beginning of next year."

However, the documents also reveal that finances look to be a significant issue.

"At the same time, even if a positive decision were to be made by the EBU, questions regarding Kazakhstan’s participation would remain open. According to the Agency’s assessment, participation in such a major international contest requires significant financial resources, and currently there is no approved budget to support this."

The news comes ahead of an important EBU meeting this week where Israel's participation will be discussed.

A number of countries will potentially boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel competes.

It also follows news that Canada's participation in Eurovision has been discussed.

Kazakhstan and Eurovision

Kazakhstan is an Associate Member of the EBU, meaning, like Australia it will need an invite to participate.

They have competed at Junior Eurovision on five occasions, finishing runner-up twice.

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