Two Artsakh cultural ensembles excluded from a November festival in Vienna following reported diplomatic pressure will not be reinstated, with organizers instead promising new invitations for March 2027 while awaiting guidance from the European Union.
In an October 24 letter, the World Festival Association (WOFA) confirmed that its organizing committee had decided to invite the ensembles to a future festival rather than reverse the original cancellation. The organization also criticized members of the groups who had publicly accused it of censorship, despite acknowledging that it had been unsure how to respond to the situation.
The decision affects the State Orchestra of Artsakh National Instruments and the “We Are Our Mountains” State Song and Dance Ensemble, which had received official invitations to the November festival and spent nearly three months preparing a special performance program before their participation was cancelled on October 21.
According to the Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center, subsequent correspondence with WOFA President Zoran Strezovski revealed that diplomatic representatives had intervened, reportedly describing the Armenian cultural groups as “dangerous” and accusing them of engaging in “separatist activities.”
On October 23, Strezovski reportedly clarified that several embassies had been involved. Their identities remain undisclosed, and no evidence supporting the accusations against the ensembles has been made public.
Following an urgent meeting, WOFA announced that it would issue new invitations for March 2027, explaining that it expected to have sufficient time by then to receive guidance from the European Union on handling such situations and determining an appropriate course of action.
The organization acknowledged that it had been caught by surprise and did not know how to respond, claiming it had never encountered similar circumstances before.
However, the same letter expressed disappointment with members of the Artsakh ensembles for publicly suggesting that WOFA had censored or deliberately prevented their participation.
“We were deeply disappointed by statements made by some of your members suggesting that WOFA was censoring or deliberately preventing your participation in the festival,” the organizing committee wrote, denying that exclusion had been its intention.
WOFA also emphasized that its mission was to bring nations and cultures closer together through music, dance, and cultural exchange, even as its decision to exclude the ensembles from the November event remained unchanged.
The Artsakh Cultural Preservation Center rejected the allegations against the ensembles and demanded that WOFA identify the diplomatic representatives involved, disclose the basis for their accusations, and explain how those allegations influenced the cancellation.
The controversy comes three years after Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive and the forced ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s Armenian population. Since their displacement, Artsakh’s cultural ensembles have continued performing outside their homeland to preserve and promote their musical and cultural traditions.
Despite WOFA’s promise of new invitations, participation in the March 2027 festival has not been guaranteed. It remains unclear how organizers would respond if similar diplomatic objections were raised again, or whether the anticipated EU guidance would affect their decision.
The November cancellation remains in place, while the reported diplomatic intervention, the identities of those involved, and the allegations used to justify the ensembles’ exclusion remain unresolved.
