News: Russia makes its mind up and picks Moscow

As is traditional, this year's host country is last year's winner, Russia, but the decision of which Russian city would end up hosting the contest was a tougher call...

According to a poll by All-Russia's Public Opinion Center, nearly half (43 percent) of Russians polled voted for the country's capital Moscow to play host to this year's contest while 18 percent opted for scenic St. Petersburg.

Yury Luzhkov, Mayor of Moscow, promises that this year's 2009 Eurovision Song Contest will be organized to the highest standards, and that the city government will do everything necessary to make its Eurovision Song Contest visitors feel welcome. The city is to invest some 35 million euro in hosting the contest, so it promises to be quite a show.

"We are doing what it takes to run a smooth operation," he said. "The Eurovision Song Contest is a very big event. Besides a musical contest, it unites Europe through the common language of music," he remarked upon receiving the host city insignia from last year's host Belgrade.