Turkey Withdraws Days Before Eurovision 1979

MAY 15 1979 · 12:15

Maria Rita Epik (withdrawn) · "Seviyorum" · Turkey · 1979 Language: Turkish · Composers: Buğra Uğur · Venue: Binyanei HaUma · Host: Jerusalem, Israel · Type: boycott · Broadcast: color analog With Israel hosting Eurovision in Jerusalem and the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty signed on 26 March 1979, Arab League pressure mounts on TRT. Five days before broadcast, Turkey withdraws. Maria Rita Epik's 'Seviyorum' — already rehearsed, already staged — never takes the Eurovision stage. Turkey's 1979 absence becomes the most explicit Eurovision-adjacent Arab League political coordination. Context The Arab League considered Jerusalem's hosting politically unacceptable. Turkey, a Muslim-majority EBU state with significant Arab commercial ties, was particularly pressured. TRT announced the withdrawal as a 'scheduling conflict'. Internal TRT documents later confirmed political pressure as the primary cause. Legacy Turkey returned in 1980 but missed Jerusalem entirely. Maria Rita Epik continued a Turkish cabaret career. The 1979 withdrawal is one of the clearest Cold War-adjacent cases of Eurovision being used as a diplomatic lever by non-participating powers. Israel's 1979 win with Gali Atari & Milk and Honey made the absent Turkish entry doubly invisible.