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EESTI ELU reedel, 29. novembril 2019 — Friday, November 29, 2019
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EKN voter registration continues 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 PDF-/Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Berlin Wall: has it really crumbled? This November, the Western world marked the 30th anni versary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s physical destruction is a fact. But it’s symbolism and importance remains debatable. A recent study in Russia dis covered that one in four young Russians haven’t heard of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The survey was conducted by the in ternationally recognized Levada Centre in Russia whose credi bility is in generally acknowl edged. The Wall was more than just a physical barrier. It was an in timidating. symbol of repressive authority that split the totali tarian East and the democratic West after 1961. It was more than the photos and film footage that people saw on TV. It was 156.4 km long, 111.9 of it constructed in concrete. It included 186 East German observation towers, 259 dog runs. The top of the wall was lined with with smooth pipe, making it hazardous to scale In 1962 a second parallel fence was built 100 metres fur ther into East German territory. Practically all buildings within that area were demolished and inhabitants forced to relocate elsewhere. This 100 metre wide strip became known as the ‘death strip’. This area was covered with raked sand or gravel, preserving foot prints, easing the detection of intruders and helping superiors to catch guards who had neglected their duties. It offered no cover for potential escapees by giving a clear field of fire for border guards. In attempting to get over, under or around the wall, at least 171 people were killed. But between 1961 and 1989 when the wall finally came down, some 5000 East Germans and others managed to cross the border by risking jumping out of the windows of the few buildings that were left within the ‘death strip’, or climbing over the barbed wire in the stretches that were not erected in concrete. Desperate attempts were also made by hot air bal loons, by ramming cars through the wall or by crawling through sewers. The Wall, which lasted from 1961 to 1989 and split the poorer, communist part of a divided
Germany from the free and prosperous part of the country, was erected to stop the des perate from fleeing to the west. More than 2.6 million, out of a population of 17 million had escaped by 1961. The official reason given for constructing the Wall by East Germany was to stop the intru sion of the West. The pre-Wall facts tell the truth. The Levada Centre study was conducted among 1,616 respendents across 50 Russian regions. Twenty-eight percent of the Levada study respondents aged 18-24 said they are hearing about the fall of the Berlin Wall for the first time. Nineteen per cent of respondents aged 25-39 had the same answer. Fully 12% of those surveyed across all age groups had never heard of the fall of the Wall until asked by the study inter viewers. A Carnegie Moscow Centre scholar explained that historical knowledge is weaken ing in Russia and that ‘mytho logy” is replacing it. These results remind one of the revelation that the general population in China did not find out about the USA’s achieve ment of a moon landing until some thirty years later. A majority of the 18-24 age group, 54%, did not indicated any interest in the removal of the Berlin Wall. This is con trasted with 34% who said that the fall of the Wall was a posi tive development. Across all age groups, 13% said they considered the destruction of the Wall negatively. Information control, censor ship, the propagating of con spiracy theories, the distrust of a free press (indeed calling it the enemy of the people and fake news) all are hallmarks of autocratic regimes. For this, China certainly qualifies. Russia is steadily morphing into an authoritarian state with the sup pression of a viable opposition and the elimination of practically all media critical of the regime. The ultra-right regimes of Europe brazenly emulate the Russian example and also sup press independent news media. The collapse of the Berlin Wall meant unlimited opportu nities to build vibrant democra cies and prosperous free mar kets. Sadly it also has allowed for the resurgence of illiberal
It’s been an annual tradition for years that the Estonian Businessmen’s Club mark the Halloween season with a MardiPardi-Pidu, the theme this year being “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party”. It has a typical Estonian touch – roast goose (duck this year). The Mad Hatter is Club President, Väino Einola who won the most creative headgear for men, the women’s category was won by Kairi Taul-Hemingway, also in lock-step with the Alice in Wonderland fantasies. Photo: Estonian Businessmen’s Club
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu digs in concerning border issue with Russia Jüri Estam – Tallinn, November 2019 Foreign Minister Reinsalu has said in a radio program aired by the Estonian public broad casting organization ERR that the country of Estonia will not retreat from the under pinnings of the Peace Treaty of Tartu if she is to finally ratify a new border treaty with the Russian Federation. Reinsalu said: “The stand point of the Republic of Estonia is that the principle ensconced in the Second Article of the Peace Treaty of Tartu is in effect. Our understanding of (the illegal annexation) of Estonian territory is connected to this, as is the restoration of our national independence. We did not (in August of 1991) create a new state. This is the most primary understanding of the entire foundation that our state rests upon, and pertaining also to the past of our state, and is therefore also deeply related to the matter of bilateral relations (with Russia)”. Reinsalu’s statement is a re action to comments made at the beginning of the week to the Russian RIA Novosti agency by Sergei Belyayev, Director of the Second European Department at the Russian Federation’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Belyayev complained about a “worsening of Estonia’s attitude towards Russia” and claimed that key Estonian ministers, in cluding Reinsalu, have publicly
regimes and Russia’s growing aggressiveness. Perverted popu lism in countries such as Poland and Hungary, countries that once were at the vanguard of early democratic reforms has resulted in a stifling of democ racy and a discrediting of its basic values. Putin’s Russia seems to be the new sheriff in town both politically and regionally. LAAS LEIVAT
presented territorial demands against Russia, “based on the Tartu Peace Treaty of 1920, which is no longer in effect.” Reinsalu said in return that if Russia insists on tying a new border agreement with political conditions, he sees no prospect for a ratification of an RussianEstonian border treaty in the near future. The general sentiment in Estonia is that there is no rea son to regard the Peace Treaty of 1920 as not being in effect. The 100th anniversary of the treaty happens to be just some months away, having been signed on February 2, 1920 between Estonia and Soviet Russia, thus ending Estonia’s successfully waged War of Independence. In the second article of the treaty in question, Soviet Russia renounced in perpetuity all rights to the territory of Estonia. Ratifications of the Peace Treaty of Tartu were exchanged in Moscow on March 30, 1920. It was re gistered in League of Nations Treaty Series on July 12, 1922. The UN has now taken over, in Geneva, the function of housing treaties that came into force during the existence of its predecessor, the League of Nations. The USSR later forcibly in corporated the Baltic States in 1940, and annexed significant amounts of land from Estonia and Latvia at the end of World War II, absorbing these annexed territories into the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The Estonian Foreign Minister is a jurist by educa tion. As February 2 approaches – meaning the 100th anniversary of the signing of the treaty in the southern Estonian city of Tartu – this source of friction pertaining to territorial issues will in all likelihood become topical again in the Estonian and possibly also the Russian media.
To date, we have doubled our registration. Please continue to let your family, friends, col leagues, associates, and orga nizations know about the digi tal enrolment process. A simplified link has been developed: election.estonian council.ca, please pass it on. All Canadians of Estonian heritage (who are at least 18 years of age as of January, 2020) are encouraged to partici pate and vote in the 2019 Estonian Central Council in Canada (EKN) elections. EKN represents and advocates on behalf of the approximately 40,000 Canadians of Estonian heritage in Canada. Data col lected here will not be shared with ANY third party and will only be used by the Estonian Central Council in Canada to communicate about elections and from time to time, about important issues affecting Canadians of Estonian heritage. EKN’s elections are ap proaching in December. I have accepted to be Chair of the Election Committee as an out side independent party to help with the election process and to count votes. EKN has worked diligently to come up with an updated election process that cuts costs and includes an e-voting com ponent. We are asking that all com munity members, who use com puters or mobile devices, regis ter to vote. For information – election.estoniancouncil.ca Your email address will be held in confidence and under Canadian law we ask your permission to use your email address for EKN’s database for this election, elections to be held in the future and in order to keep you up to date on EKN’s progress in Ottawa along with other issues of advocacy. Please feel free to email, or call me, if you have any ques tions or concerns. Aitäh MATTI PRIMA (416) 705-4215
Russia will sign border treaty if Estonia gives up territorial claims ERR, November 2019 Russia wants Estonia to relin quish its territorial claims before moving forward with the ratification of the border treaty between the two coun tries, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. “We expect our Estonian partners to abide by their com mitments on ratification, includ ing the abandonment of any (Continued on page 10)
