Armenia has pulled out of the Eurovision Song Contest over new tensions with rival Azerbaijan - the hosts of this year's event.
The organisers of the annual contest have announced Armenian Public Television bosses decided not to compete or cover the event in May over ongoing strife between Armenia and the host nation, which dates back to the Nagorno-Karabakh wars in the 1990s.
A statement from the TV network reads, "Despite the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities have given security guarantees to all participating countries, several days ago the Azerbaijani president made a statement that enemy number one for Azerbaijan were the Armenians... There is no logic to sending a participant to a country where he will be met as an enemy."
Reacting to news, Azerbaijani politician Ali Ahmedov told reporters that Armenia had no genuine reason to boycott the competition in Baku: "The Armenian refusal to take part in such a respected contest will cause even further damage to the already damaged image of Armenia."
Over 40 nations will compete for the Eurovision Song Contest crown, which was won by Azerbaijan in 2011.
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