Turkey has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 34 times since its debut in 1975. Since the introduction of the semi-finals in , Turkey has only failed to qualify for the final once, in . Turkey won the contest once in , and hosted the contest in Istanbul. Turkey finished last on its debut at the contest in 1975, and went on to finish last with nul points in and . They reached the top ten for the first time in 1986. Şebnem Paker achieved the country's first top five result in , finishing third with the song "Dinle". The country went on to achieve five more top five placements after the introduction of the free language rule and televoting, with Sertab Erener giving Turkey its first victory in with the song "Everyway That I Can". Turkey's other top five results are Athena (), Kenan Doğulu (), Hadise (), who all finished fourth, and Manga (), who finished second. The Turkish broadcaster TRT announced in December 2012 that they would not participate in the , citing dissatisfaction with the rules of the competition. 2013 was the first time since that there was no television broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest on TRT. In September 2013, TRT stated a return is unlikely for the , citing the same reasons. , they are yet to return to the contest having stated similar reasons for their absence each year. History Turkish Radio and Television Corporation involvement in the Eurovision Song Contest The national broadcasting service of Turkey, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), was one of the charter members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 1950 along with eighteen countries around Europe, including Tunisia. As an intercontinental country (with lands in Eastern Thrace and Western Asia), Turkey takes part in a multitude of Western organizations including NATO as of 1952 and the European Economic Community as an associate member as of 1959. TRT televised the Eurovision Song Contest between 1973 and 2012, even during years in which Turkey was not participating in the contest. 1970s Turkey made its debut at the in Stockholm, Sweden. Greece did not take part in the contest for "unknown reasons" according to the EBU, but it was later revealed that the withdrawal was in protest of Turkey's debut and their invasion of Cyprus in 1974. TRT organized a national final to select the first ever Turkish