PRESS RELEASE Tallinn, 19 August 2004

Today, on the closing day of its work the 4th World Congress of Finno-Ugric
Peoples states that the EU membership of three Finno-Ugric states has opened up new perspectives for the Finno-Ugric relations. As a result of this, more efficient co-operation is possible within the EU, among the Finno-Ugric
peoples and the Russian Federation.

The participants suggested regular consultations in the framework of Inter-
Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of
Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the European Parliament.

The World Congress states that the primary objective of the Congress is the
preservation and development of the Finno-Ugric peoples and their cultures
as part of the heritage of the whole mankind. The rights of national
minorities are not a question of a country’s domestic policy but also of the
whole international community. Therefore, it is important, in addition to
including the international human rights standards and the rights of
national minorities into national legislations, to use mechanisms of
international legal instruments which do not require ratification and are
directly binding.

There has been a reduction in the number of population of most of the Finno-
Ugric and Samoyed peoples, and the sphere of use of their languages is
decreasing. It is, above all, the younger generation that has suffered where
it is deprived of opportunities of socialisation in their own national
cultures. Taking into account the existing situation, the Congress has
outlined a number of measures in different fields of vital importance for
the Finno-Ugric and Samoyed peoples.

The Udmurtian Delegation expressed some doubts concerning the effectiveness of the work of the Consultative Committee, and suggested that the Congress should examine more closely the work of the Consultative Committee of the Finno-Ugric Peoples.

The Consultative Committee of Finno-Ugric Peoples re-elected Mr. Valeri
Markov to chair the Committee.

The Khanty-Mansy Autonomous District has expressed its willingness to host
the next World Congress of Finno-Ugric peoples in the year 2008.

Further information http://kongress.ugri.info/eng/

Andres Heinapuu
General Secretary
+372 56954740
andres@suri.ee