Eligibility to participate is not determined by geographic inclusion within the continent of Europe , despite the " Euro " in " Eurovision " – nor does it have any relation to the European Union . Several countries geographically outside the boundaries of Europe have competed : Israel , Cyprus and Armenia in Western Asia ( Cyprus is a member of the Council of Europe and a member state of the European Union ) , since 1973 , 1981 and 2006 respectively ; Australia since 2015 and Morocco , in North Africa , in the 1980 competition alone . In addition , several transcontinental countries with only part of their territory in Europe have competed : Turkey , since 1975 ; Russia , since 1994 ; Georgia , since 2007 ; and Azerbaijan , which made its first appearance in the 2008 edition
1980 competition
Eurovision Song Contest 1980
Eurovision Song Contest