Azernews.Az

43 countries have applied to participate in the Eurovision song contest to be held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku this May, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced.

The participating countries include those that made their return last year. Most notably, Italy, Hungary and Austria are also set to take part in the contest this year.

Joining them is Montenegro, which has been absent from the past three editions of Europe’s favorite TV show. This brings the number of participating broadcasters on par with the record of 43 from last year and 2008.

Armenia, with which Azerbaijan faces a long-standing conflict, is among the Eurovision participants.

Jon Ola Sand, the Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, said, "We are excited to once again see over 40 countries at the Eurovision Song Contest. They will gather in Baku in May, get to know the country and its people, and most of all, be part of the most spectacular music entertainment show on earth."

The 43 represented countries are: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

Unfortunately, the Polish national broadcaster TVP has decided not to join Eurovision this year. "As host broadcaster of Euro2012, TVP has a challenging year ahead," Sand explained.

The Semi-Final Allocation Draw, which determines in which Semi-Final each country will participate in, will be held on January 25 in Baku, during the Host City Insignia Exchange.

Dirk Elbers, Mayor of Duesseldorf, which hosted the Eurovision contest in 2011, will deliver the symbolic key to Baku Mayor Hajibala Abutalibov, officially making Baku the host of Eurovision-2012. On the same day, a logo and a slogan of this year’s contest will be announced.

37 countries will be represented in the two Semi-Finals, whereas only 20 of them will qualify for the Grand Final, 10 from each Semi-Final. The draw that determines the running order in each Semi-Final will be determined during the traditional Heads of Delegation meeting in the host city, set to take place in March.

The semi-finals will be held on May 22 and 24 and the finals on May 26.

Under Eurovision rules, five countries - Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain - as well as the winner of last year’s contest automatically qualify for the finals.