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Maria Rita Epik (withdrawn) · "Seviyorum" · Turkey · 1979 Language: Turkish · Composers: Buğra Uğur · Venue: Binyanei HaUma · Host: Jerusalem, Israel · Type: boycott · Broadcast: color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.