Ukrainas deltakelse i Junior Eurovision Song Contest står i fare. Dette skyldes pengemangel, melder oikotimes.

På en pressekonferanse i dag kom det frem at delegasjonen NTU sender til Valletta vil bestå av elleve til 13 personer. NTU har søkt sponsorer om et bidrag på 580 000 ukrainske hryvnja, noe som tilsvarer ca. 190 000 norske kroner. Foreløpig har det kun kommet inn 50 000, eller 16 000 kroner. 

I tillegg skal delegasjonen få 16 000 kroner av det ukrainske Kulturdepartementet, men disse har ennå ikke blitt overlevert.

Tidligere direktør i NTU, Zurab Alasania, har uttalt seg om saken.

– Every year, NTU holds its own national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. To the hosting city we are obliged only to send a representative of Ukraine, broadcasting crew and the delegation of 2-3 people. We can not send anyone there for the budget money. This year’s contestant father was unable to collect enough money from sponsors and thus has appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers with a request to help to finance taking part in the contest. The Prime Minister has a lot of political connections, he could have appealed to people who have money. However, behind the closed doors, without a written order, the Government instructed the Ministry of Culture and NTU to find 200,000 hryvnia. Given that we don’t even have the right to carry out any payments.