Finno-Ugric world congress postponed
The VIII World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples, which was scheduled to take place in Tartu this June, has been postponed in connection with the emergency status triggered by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the nonprofit Fenno-Ugria announced.
New dates for the world congress, which was originally scheduled for June 17-19, have yet to be decided; a decision regarding the date will be made by an advisory committee of Finno-Ugric peoples. The location of the event — the Estonian National Museum (ERM) in Tartu — will remain the same, Fenno-Ugria said.
Last October, President Kersti Kaljulaid sent invitations to the event to Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Hungarian President Janos Ader and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Whether or not Putin will participate in the event in Tartu remains unclear. The Ministry of Culture told ERR in February that it had asked the Russian Embassy in Tallinn about it, but the embassy was unable to say.
The Russian president has only participated in the World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples, which takes place every four years, only once — when then-head of state Dmitry Medvedev attended the congress in Khanty-Mansiysk.
Representatives of 23 Finno-Ugric peoples are expected to attend the VIII World Congress in Tartu. Some 500 people are expected to attend the congress, including up to 215 delegates as well as observers, guests and journalists.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
