Marija Serifovic:I would never hurt my friends in Finland

from http://www.esctoday.com

Marija Serifovic, this year's Eurovision Song Contest winner, is being blamed for making negative comments about Finland and Finnish people during a press conference in Belgrade on 1st June. Marija herself says she was quoted out of context. She assures that she never meant any disrespect to the country where she enjoyed the biggest success of her career.

Marija Serifovic was reported to have spoken badly about Finland, Finnish food and Finnish peoples' looks during a press conference in Belgrade earlier this week. What the artist herself has to answer is that she would never say anything so racist to hurt her friends in Finland and Helsinki, and that she was misquoted solely for publicity reasons. "All questions in the last month or so are beginning with question "How was it in Finland", I answered a million questions on this subject and since my two friends from Finland were present at the press conference I answered to "the" question with irony. As a matter of fact, the context of the answer had nothing to do with bad connotation that was passed to the public. The reporter that "advertised" my answer as the bad and evil one was thinking about the sales of the newspapers only." says Marija.

Marija, who is known for her outspoken personality, spoke with enthusiasm about her experience in Helsinki: "The biggest success in my career I have had in Helsinki, Finland. To participate in such competition was an honour for me and to win gave me prestige and happiness above all. All memories that connect me with Helsinki and Finland are positive and every time I think about Finland my eyes are filled with tears of happiness." And she concludes: "It is absolutely impossible that anybody could believe, that after all good that happened to me in Finland and Helsinki, I could ever give a statement like that! I would never say any racist statement or any evil statement that would hurt my friends in Finland and Helsinki, ever."

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