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EESTI ELU reedel, 17. jaanuaril 2020 — Friday, January 17, 2020
Nr. 2
Comedy festival for January’s Blue Monday
English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Is the Tartu Peace Treaty still relevant today? One hundred years ago, on February 2, 1920, the Repub lic of Estonia and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) signed the Treaty of Tartu. The Treaty declared the end of the War of Independence and by it Moscow recognized Estonia’s independence and agreed to a border. This meant that Estonia’s independence would be voluntarily recognized in perpetuity. Specifically Article II of the treaty clearly states that “Russia unreservedly recognizes the independence and sovereignty of the State of Estonia, and re nounces voluntarily and forever all sovereign rights possessed by Russia over the Estonian people and territory.” The treaty was ratified by the REFSR two days later on February 4th and by the Esto nian Constituent Assembly on the 13th of February. After Estonia won the War of Independence, other nations were reluctant to recognize Estonia’s sovereignty. Russia had been on the winning aside with Western allies in the WWI victory over Germany. It was after the signing of the treaty with the RSFSR in 1920, that the independence of Estonian was recognized by other nations and the League of Nations accepted Estonia as a member. Last November, Sergey Belyayev, the head of the Russian foreign ministry’s second European department, emphasized Russia’s position that the Treaty of Tartu became null and void when Estonia ‘be came part’ of the Soviet Union in 1940. Moscow has never honestly admitted that ‘becoming part’ of the Soviet Union was the result of fraudulent elections to the Estonian parliament in the sum mer of 1940 during the first Soviet occupation of Estonia. The Communist take over of the country has always been considered to be illegitimate by the international community. Estonia was invaded, occu pied and illegally annexed by the Soviet Union during WWII and Moscow assumed owner ship of territory east of Narva and most of Petseri County,
territories guaranteed to Estonia by the terms of the Tartu Peace Treaty Estonian officials refuted Belyayev’s claims. The issue of Russia illegally annexing five percent of Estonian territory, land that in 1940 was taken by the RSFSR was again raised, an act directly in violation of the Tartu Peace Treaty. That Estonia has now signed and ratified a new border agreement with the Russian Federation makes the current ar gument even more complicated. Moscow has yet to ratify the treaty stating that the Estonian parliament, in passing a resolu tion of ratification included a stipulation that nothing in the new border agreement would affect the Tartu Peace Treaty. Currently Russia refutes the legitimacy of the treaty and considers it simply as an his torical document. With the an nexation of Crimea Russia has clearly indicated its disdain for many other treaties and agree ments into which it has entered over time. The border issue is just one aspect of Russia’s refusal to recognize the Treaty of Tartu. The heart of the stand-off is the Kremlin’s dismissal of any suggestion that the Soviet occu pation and annexation of the Baltic States in 1940 was ille gal. This flaunts the position of almost all international law scholars, historians and coun tries that the the Soviet Union violated international law. Russia has always been selective in deciding whether it is the successor state of those previous Russian/Soviet states mutations that preceded it. When it benefits Russia Moscow it claims legal continuity. When it’s disadvantageous it denies it. The Tartu Peace treaty is an annoyance that the Kremlin must denounce. Allthough Estonia has no in ternational leverage to change Moscow’s stance about the treaty and other countries have shown no interests in supporting Estonia’s position, the Tartu Peace Treaty is still supremely important for the Estonian people and state: with the Declaration of Independence it forms the basis for our recogni tion as a sovereign state and our national identity. It is not widely known that the Peace Treaty of Tartu was the first peace treaty in the his tory of international law, in
Blue Monday, the 3rd Mon day in January, has been posited as the most depressing day of the year – the holidays are over and the bills from that are coming in, New Years’ resolutions are all but abandoned and it just doesn’t yet seem to be getting any lighter outside. What better time to get out of the house, into Tartu College and take in some comedy that is tailor made for our Toronto Esto nian community? And so it is that the inaugu ral funniEST Estonian Comedy Festival welcomes back head liner Andy Valvur (pictured) who brought the house down in January 2015 at Tartu College, together with our homegrown talent to open and host, and the improv group Impeerium. The festival, organized by Ellen Valter and Paul Lillakas with the financial help of Tartu College, Northern Birch Credit Union (formerly Estonian Credit Union) and Estonian Foundation of Canada and the logistics support of korp! Filiae Patriae and Estonian
Studies Centre/VEMU as a fundraiser for the International Estonian Centre runs 2 nights with a free pre-festival warmup improv workshop open to 20 participants who register via vemu@tartucollege.ca. All shows are in English and doors are at 7pm. The festival opens on Friday January 24 at Tartu College with Improteater Impeerium, an improv group from Estonia. Krall, Rauno, Erki and Maarius had the audience in stitches in January 2017 and are returning with their accessible fun show back to Toronto with fresh music, fresh material and their abundant charm. Then on Saturday January 25 at Tartu College, Tanya Henley, of Second City and Yuk Yuk’s fame will host a standup night that includes opening acts of Paul Lillakas, Helle Wichman, and Liia Kajak before Andy Valvur returns to the Tartu College stage. They all, of course, have charm in abun dance too. Please visit estonian comedyfestival.com for bios on all performers.
Canada can learn from Taiwan on relations with China
imposed Magnitsky sanctions on Chinese officials who are responsible for human rights abuses. Beijing’s aggressive in Marcus Kolga, The Toronto fluence operations within Canada have targeted elected Star, January 2020 officials at all government Few cherish the fragility of levels and riding level political democracy more than the party structures are under people of Taiwan. Located increasing threat of being com perilously close to an adver promised by groups connected sary seeking to undermine its to China’s local consulates and sovereignty and democracy, the United Front. Platforms Taiwan has developed remar such as Facebook and WeChat kable resilience to China’s regularly used by Beijing to ongoing threats. This re spread disinformation about silience will be put to the test Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. on Saturday as voters cast Even Canadian corporations ballots in Taiwan’s national operating in China are overtly elections. threatened in Chinese state Canada is no stranger to media if they don’t toe China’s bully diplomacy. Cana Beijing’s line. dians Michael Spavor and Taiwan’s success in resisting Michael Kovrig are entering China’s influence lies in the their second year of arbitrary fact that they have developed detention in China in response defences against China’s objec to the legal arrest of Huawei tives – namely, aggressive ex executive Meng Wanzhou on a pansionism and the subjugation U.S. extradition request. And just last month, Chinese of smaller nations to Beijing’s Ambassador Cong Peiwu direct influence. threatened retaliation if Canada As such, Taiwan has taken
Andy Valvur headlines funniEST Estonian Comedy Festival January 24-25 in Toronto.
Festival passes are $50, available via eventbrite, at Tartu College and Northern Birch, and cover admission for both nights. If all festival passes have not sold out, single nights will be available at the door – please keep an eye on estonian comedyfestival.com or the fun niEST event page on facebook for updates on that front. See you there! ELLEN VALTER & PAUL LILLAKAS
diversified trade, bolstered do mestic defence industries, and reinforced democratic institu tions to directly address China’s influence and information warfare. This dedication to democracy has been put into action by Taiwanese Minister Audrey Tang, who is Taiwan’s first transgender cabinet minister and among the first anywhere in the world. She has developed an innovative open government policy that allows all citizens to directly contribute to the coun try’s policy-making process. Tang is also responsible for over seeing the development of Taiwan’s countermeasures against Beijing’s disinformation attacks – without negatively affecting personal liberties, in cluding freedom of expression. When I recently met with Tang in Taipei, she explained that the Taiwanese government has developed a protocol for “working toward disarming dis information that does not in volve infringing of journalistic freedom.”
which secession was ‘expressis verbis’ recognized on the basis of the right of peoples to self determination. This right was unanimously reinforced by the Helsinki Accords signed by the Soviet Union and 34 other European countries in 1975 including Canada and the USA. The validity of the Tartu Peace Treaty was reconfirmed by the Estonian parliament in its ratification of the border agreement. Historians and legal experts have referred to the treaty as ‘Estonia’s birth certifi cate’. It’s just as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.
Esto Ski Day 2020 – Eesti Suusapäev 2020
LAAS LEIVAT
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Georgian Peaks Ski Club, February 14, 2020 This year’s annual Esto Ski Day at Georgian Peaks is booked for Friday, February 14, 2020 (Family Day weekend). Events will include a day of skiing for family and friends, a fun race and an evening get-together at a local pub to be announced during the awards ceremony. The lifts will open at 9 am. Lift tickets are $48.00 for adults and $35.00 for children under 10. All participants pay for their lift tickets individually. Please
purchase tickets from the main lodge, registering under “Esto Ski Day”. The Georgian Peaks website is www.georgianpeaks.com. Part of the WEST LODGE has been reserved for our use for the day. This season the West Lodge will only be offer ing grab ‘n go selections of sandwiches, salads and snacks as well as a soup and chili station. Meals that are more
