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Jamala not to perform in Crimea at memorial opening — producer

Ukrainian singer Jamala who won Eurovision song contest will not go to Crimea to sing at the opening ceremony of a memorial dedicated to the deportation victims, says Jamala’s producer
Ukrainian singer Jamala  Piotr Sivkov/TASS
Ukrainian singer Jamala
© Piotr Sivkov/TASS

MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. Ukrainian singer Jamala who won this year’s Eurovision song contest with a controversial song about the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 will not go to Crimea to sing at the opening ceremony of a memorial dedicated to the deportation victims, Jamala’s producer Igor Tarnapolsky said on Tuesday.

"No, we did not plan it. Frankly speaking, the schedule is too busy… Objective situation makes it impossible. Moreover, a commemorative event on this occasion will be held in Kiev and we will sign there," he said in an interview with the Govorit Moskva radio station.

Crimea’s Deputy Prime Minister Ruslan Balbek said earlier on Tuesday the Crimean authorities would be glad to see Jamala at the memorial’s opening ceremony on May 18.

Eurovision’2016 finals were held on May 14 in Stockholm. The program featured 26 performers - ten performing representing each round of the semi-finals and six representing Sweden as the host country, as well as Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France as the founders of the contest.

Ukrainian songstress Jamala took the first place with the song titled ‘1944’. Sergei Lazarev of Russia took the third place with the song ‘You Are the Only One’ composed by Russian pop star Filip Kirkorov.