Kazakhstan’s state broadcaster Khabar Agency has asked Europe’s television chiefs to give the Central Asian nation a place in the Eurovision Song Contest, agency chair Kemelbek Oishybayev said after attending last week’s General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) at BBC headquarters.
Oishybayev met EBU Director‑General Noel Curran during the London meeting and “put forward arguments on geography, Kazakhstan’s record in Junior Eurovision, and the country’s growing ties with the European Union,” he wrote on Instagram. Curran told him the proposal would be reviewed at the EBU’s next board session.
Kazakhstan has broadcast Eurovision for years and has competed in Junior Eurovision since 2018 but is not yet eligible for the adult contest, whose rules limit entrants to active EBU members from the European Broadcasting Area or Council of Europe. The next contest—the event’s 70th edition—is scheduled to take place in Austria in 2026.
The EBU assembly brought together executives from Europe’s major broadcasters to discuss artificial‑intelligence tools in newsrooms, trends in audience trust, and the growing importance of platforms such as YouTube for distributing television content. Delegates also received a progress report on preparations for the 70th Eurovision show.
Separately, Oishybayev met BBC Director‑General Tim Davie and agreed on a staff‑exchange programme, a documentary co‑production initiative and a reciprocal video‑news feed. The BBC, which launched the world’s first regular television service in 1936, continues to serve as a model for public broadcasters worldwide, Oishybayev said.
Khabar Agency, based in Astana, is a full EBU associate member and has long voiced hopes of joining the main Eurovision Song Contest. A decision on its latest request could come later this year when the EBU’s executive board convenes.
