”SVT is independent – it is one of our cornerstones. We do not take a political stance”, writes SVT's CEO Anne Lagercrantz in a written comment to SVT's Kulturnyheterna.
The European radio and TV union EBU has called for a meeting at the beginning of November where the different European broadcasting companies will vote on Israeli participation.
The TV companies from the Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland have announced that they will boycott the competition if Israel is allowed to participate. Several other countries have taken a stance against a boycott.
TT has repeatedly sought out SVT to ask how the Swedish public service company views Israel's participation. But SVT has not wanted to disclose its stance.
”We understand that many want an immediate answer about how SVT will act and there are many opinions about what is the right way", writes Lagercrantz now in her statement.
She continues:
”SVT's participation is conditional on the basic prerequisites being in place. We will therefore take the time to listen to EBU and other member companies. It is to show respect for both a difficult question and a beautiful idea about a cultural arena that wants to unite people through music”.
