Montenegro officially withdraws from Eurovision 2023

Credit: EBU

After much speculation the Montenegrin broadcast RTCG confirmed the nation will not take place in Eurovision 2023.

In a statement on their website (translated below) they said:

"In addition to the significant costs of the registration fee, as well as the cost of staying in Great Britain - we also faced a lack of interest from sponsors, so we decided to direct existing resources to the financing of current and planned national projects and organizational and program reforms, which entail significant investment interventions in equipment and premises."

Montenegro returned to the Contest in 2022 after a break in 2021 and the cancelled 2020 edition.

In Turin, Montenegro finished 17th in the semi-final with the entry 'Breathe' by Vladana'.

This was the lowest finish for Montenegro since the introduction of two semi-finals and the nation has only qualified for the Grand Final on two occasions, the most recent of those in 2015.

When they withdrew previously they used the budget to buy a new fleet of cars.

The official list of countries competing in Eurovision 2023 is expected soon.

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