Finno-Ugric nations of the world consider Bashkortostan an example in preservation of aboriginal languages

The VI world congress of Finno-Ugric nations has taken place in the town of Siofok (Hungary). More than 400 delegates fr om Hungary, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russian regions have taken part in its work. Seven people – Mari, Mordvinians and Udmurts – presented Republic of Bashkortostan.

The President of Hungary Yanosh Ader, the President of Finland Sauli Niiniste and the President of Estonia Tomas Hendrik Ilves were present at the forum’s opening ceremony. The Minister of culture RF Vladimir Medinsky presented Russia. Sectional meetings have taken place on the second day of the forum: “Ethnic policy and the law”, “Language and education”, “Culture”, “IT and mass-media” and “Health, demography and ecology”.

The problem of lingual assimilation of Russian Finno-Ugric nations has become the central topic of the congress. Representatives of Hungary, Finland and Estonia suppose that Russian Finno-Ugric nations, which don’t have their own state formations, are found in difficult situation. Some nations are found on the verge of disappearance in Norway, Sweden and Latvia. The adherence of aboriginal languages held Bashkortostan and Tatarstan as an example of Russian regions, wh ere all conditions for development of national cultures and languages were to the fore. At that teaching in native language is absent in Finno-Ugric regions and specialists say that this is one of the grounds of lingual assimilation. The ongoing process of reduction of Finno-Ugric population in Russia is also connected with this problem.

For the reference: the world congress of Finno-Ugric nations is held once in four years. The first congress has taken place in 1992 in Syktyvkar. Later similar congresses were held in Budapest (1996), Helsinki (2000), Tallinn (2004) and Khanty-Mansiysk (2008). The next forum will take place in 2016 in Finland. The congress is aimed at consolidation of cultural, economic and political relations between Finno-Ugric nations and countries.