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"Stagnation of the Finno-Ugric movement: results of a routine Summit in Siofok (Hungary)", Baku Today, 11 September 2012

11.09.2012

Dmitry Semušin,
European Explorer (BakuToday)

September 7, 2012, in Siofok (Hungary) finished the 6th Congress of Finno-Ugric and samoyed peoples. The Congress was attended by over 300 delegates from 23 (media coverage erroneously indicated 25) people from Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Norway and Russia.

Russia was provided by delegations at the Congress of the Veps, Wodie, Izhora, Karel, Komi, Komi-permyaks, Muncie, Marie, Mordvins, Nenetses, n'ganasans, Sami, Tver Karelians, Udmurts, Finns, Khanty-ingermanlandcev. The largest Russian Finno-Ugric ethnic groups are on the 2010 census, Mordvins-744237, Udmurts, 552299, Marie-547605, Komi-228235. Among the Finno-Ugrian ethnic Russia has an extremely small ethnic community. For example, the 2010 census, the strength of the Izhora-266 people, water-80. The strength of the majority of Finno-Ugric ethnic groups of Russia after the 2002 census year was reduced by 10-15%.

Congress on the last day of his work visited the Hungarian Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Zsolt Németh and responsible for the culture Secretary of Hungary László L. Simon. They addressed the Congress.

On the evening of 7 September, at the last plenary meeting of the VI World Congress of Finno-Ugric and samoyed peoples adopted a special resolution on the basis of its work. It reaffirms the commitment to the Declaration on the basic principles, aims and objectives of cooperation of Finno-Ugric peoples of the world, adopted by the first Congress in 1992 year.

Congress understands that "Finno-Ugric world emerged as a reality with its identity and autonomy, institutions and organizations consistently implements and implements the international standards in the field of human rights, national minorities and indigenous peoples, including the right of peoples to self-determination". Thus, Congress comes from the definition of "indigenous peoples" in kind not allowed Russia "international law". Congress considers the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia the peoples conquered and kolonizuemyh territories. The concept of "indigenous peoples" is repeated four times in this Declaration. However, who attended the Congress, Minister of culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinskiy otherwise expressed anything other than "international" and "Finno-Ugric" understanding of the term: "193 people lived in Russia, they say at 227 languages and dialects. And every nation is regarded as an indigenous people of the Russian Federation".

Be that as it may, but resolution VI Congress recognizes collective rights of Finno-Ugric peoples.

Congress acknowledged the continuing drawdown of most Finno-Ugric peoples, their acculturation and assimilation, reduction of native languages. In this regard, many Finno-Ugric peoples need to intensify efforts towards mainstreaming the global mobility processes, modernization and Informatization to preserve its identity and for further development.

The Congress called on the representatives of Finno-Ugric and samoyed peoples of all countries to use native languages in daily life and public life, to teach the Finno-Ugric languages of children, including those involving representatives of middle and elder generations, promote the use of these languages in the media and social networks.

The Congress called on the representatives of Finno-Ugric peoples (means, of course, Russian) actively initiate and catalysts in the formation and development of civil society as a base for success in achieving the goals and objectives of the Finno-Ugric movement. The Declaration contained a paragraph calling for enhanced cross-border cooperation in the regions of residence of Finno-Ugric peoples.

With regard to non-governmental organizations of the Finno-Ugric peoples, the Congress urged them to actively participate in all relevant national and international mechanisms for the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities, including the United Nations system. NGOs to participate in the development and democratization "of organizational structures of the Finno-Ugric peoples" more actively involve young people in its work.

In the resolution, the Congress authorized the International Consultative Committee of Finno-Ugric peoples (MKKFUN) improved reglamentnuû documentation, including documentation for the election of delegates to the World Congress.

Thus, the resolution of the Congress, especially at key points addressed Russian Finno-Ugric bad connotations. It is significant that problems of Hungarians as a divided people, despite an active national policies in the Carpathian basin of the current regime in Budapest, are not reflected in this document.

During the Congress, first Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the Komi Republic Valery Markov newly elected members of the International Advisory Committee of Finno-Ugric peoples (MKKFUN) as its Chairman. Markov is headed by MKKFUN with 1992 year, i.e. Since the founding of the international Finno-Ugric movement. From the point of view of Finland, Hungary and Estonia, Komi is a major Russian Finno-Ugric ethnic group living in the rich natural resources of the region. National problems in the titular Republic of Komi are handled with the participation of local authorities. These two circumstances and accumulated extensive experience and identified them for the President's post Declined. But before Congress from individual future delegates sounded a proposal to replace the long-standing Chairman of MKKFUN. Now Markov claims that his re-election indicates that Russia, as a whole, and for the Republic of Komi, among others, leadership positions in international Finno-Ugric space. Of course, this is not the case. MKKFUN has weak executive functions and meets in full session only twice a year. Much more important than the other. Unit MKKFUN is located in Helsinki. The headquarters of Finland funded from its budget that is more than essential.

Intrigue, will now remain in new MKKFUN as the representative of the Hungarian Professor Janos Pusztay was from. In October 2011, he resigned from the MKKFUN in protest against the attitude of the Hungarian authorities to prepare the Finno-Ugric Congress. He was replaced by diplomat György Nanovski. Now from MKKFUN bred Professor University of Budapest Enikö Szij Virag. Nanovski invited to return to her place Pusztay was. Professor West-Pannonskogo University Pusztay was almost two decades working for the conservation of the Finno-Ugric languages in Russia. He has a close relationship with the Uralic linguists in the titular autonomous areas of Russia, cooperates with the Estonians from the University of Tartu. In an environment where the language question Finno-Ugrians Russia takes politicized, Pusztay was crucial for the Finno-Ugric national affairs. Pusztay was with their counterparts in Russia held a special vocabulary of the five languages of the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia-just 50 editions, allowing substantive teaching in these languages in high school. Hungarian linguist is puristom, which advocated strong cleansing of Finno-Ugric languages foreign, particularly Russians, borrowing. On his personal beliefs is Pusztay was rusofobom.

Next VII World Congress of Finno-Ugric peoples held in 2016, in Finland in Lahti. Already defined and room for meetings-Sibbelius Hall. Finnish non-governmental organizations have already committed themselves to preparing and holding the VII Congress of Finno-Ugric peoples.

Interim Conference Finno-Ugrians in Petrozavodsk (Karelia) in 2014. The proposal to hold a conference here had already endorsed the head of Karelia ingermanlandskij Finn Alexander Hudilajnen. Interim monitoring of execution of decisions of Congresses of Finno-Ugric peoples traditionally held in the middle of the 4-year cycle of the congresses.

Of accidents at the Congress was the most extreme activists protest official placename-giving Boris Eruševa and Alexander Bol′kina, due to the fact that the delegation was not allowed on Congress official placename-giving. In a special statement of support Valentina Sovkina with his "Sami", "best" in Murmansk oblast nepravovymi actions that have received support from the Norwegians on their bodies across borders in the Barents region. MKKFUN had retired from the dispute about what the delegation should submit mordvinic groups. Ethnic entrepreneurs in Mordovia appeared from moksha and official placename-giving. Census 2010, revealed the existence of, along with the mordovian, identities and official placename-giving moksha. Finally, the delegation to the Congress formed a Government of Mordovia, that stand in the position of a single people of Mordovia. Now Finno-Ugric movement slogan-based movement to develop the "civil society". In actual practice, this will mean a rise in claims of any kind arising out of the new ethnic community organizations. This Mordovia to the next Congress may repeat the situation with Marie (ethnic entrepreneurs have already appeared on a mountain meadow and swamps), Udmurts and Komis, of whom want to secede izhems. At the VI Congress of the Board member of the Lûdikovskogo society Mijkul Pakhomov made for the recognition of separate Finno-Ugric ethnic group living in Karelia, Karel-little creatures.

From the point of view of accidents, VI Šiofokskij Congress will go down in history as a troublesome event for the Estonian delegation. On the eve of the opening of the Congress revealed that among the flags of official delegations in front of the hotel "Azur", where took place the Congress of Estonian flag was absent. Organizers had to shoot all 20 + flags of Finno-Ugric peoples. During the Estonian President Ilves went simultaneous translation. After the first day of the Congress, the President of Estonia, compared it with the official event in the style of the Communist era. The second day of the Congress added confidence in it. The timeframe for the Congress for its content-work in sections, were apparently small. In particular, delegates at the section "culture" was limited to 7-minute messages that the Russians, in most cases, to the annoyance of the Hungarians, Finns, and Estonians, were limited only to the presentation of the identity of the rapporteur and the organization he represents, as well as the list of the Organization's activities, accompanied by a self-promoter. The presentation of the ethno-cultural problems in the Russian regions no longer remained.

Congress organizers themselves Hungarians, used the Finno-Ugric Congress, mostly to strengthen their political, economic and cultural relations with the countries of the EU-colleagues in Finland and Estonia. In addition to the Presidents of these countries, Hungary, on the occasion of the Congress of Finno-Ugrians, visited the President of the Parliament of Finland Èero Hejnâluoma (SPD), Minister of culture of Estonia Reine Lang (Reform Party).

Congress considered provisions that "Finno-Ugric world" and even "Finno-Ugric identity" has already become a reality. But in this paragraph, the Congress still explicitly issue a wishful reality. Represented at the Congress of Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia and Europe, in addition to the actual fundamental differences in culture, but does not have the mental picture of this community. During the Congress, the head of the Komi Republic Vyacheslav Gaiser invited the Hungarian party to cooperate in the field of tourism. "Tourism is a new industry for the Republic, but today we are already doing serious steps on its promotion and the creation of adequate infrastructure at the State level," he said. In the end, whatever they were doing and did not speak in the Komi Republic, and the flow of tourists from Hungary there would be zero. And one of the factors for this is the lack of a mass of Hungarian any commonality with the Komi Republic. Moreover, the Hungarians have heard little or nothing know about this people. Even a close embrace of the Finno-Ugric languages and culture collided with the lack not only formal government interest, but that was no longer in demand from the Hungarian applicant. Finno-Ugric languages in Hungary, a country which organized the Congress, became undesirable area. Idea of Finno-Ugric unity now exists only in the minds of concerned activists, local employees of national cultures and engaged officials. And so everywhere and not only in Hungary. Reality and for Hungary and Estonia, and Finland is the task of creating a suitable model combining national identity with pan in the current crisis affecting the European Union.

International Finno-Ugric movement was created with the aim of politicizing ethnicity in Russia and the destruction of the cultural community of Russians. At the VI Congress of Finno-Ugric and samoyed peoples Estonian President Ilves pointedly remarked, "with regard to cultures, this means that only cultural autonomy may not be enough. Statutory right to maintain its culture may not be enough if the feeding of the culture environment, destroy or rapidly modify beyond recognition. " International Finno-Ugric movement promoted the involvement of ethnopolitical processes RF external actors attempting to politicize the situation in cultural and political life of the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia. From this point of view and should be considered past the 6th Congress of the Finno-Ugric peoples, which turned out to be another routine exercise in this long-term endeavour. The event, however, has not produced any sensationalism. Significant ethnic factor in the face of the ongoing domestic political crisis in Russia is clearly in the background before a problem of relations between the Centre and the regions, including Finno-Ugric regions of the Russian Federation.

Original article on the BakuToday webpage.