In 2012, Russia will celebrate a thousand years of unity between the Mordovian and Russian peoples. "A government organising committee has already started preparations for a festival to celebrate the anniversary," Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced. "Yet the colourful show is only a pleasant bonus," he added.
"One thousand years ago, Russia was at the dawn of its statehood, but even then, the traditions of mutual respect, friendship and support between the ethnicities that made up the new country were already firmly in place," Mr Putin said at the meeting of the organising committee. "The Mordovian people made a natural, historic decision to live and develop within a unified country. This allowed them to retain their identity and yet still cooperate with other nationalities in the creation and development of our common state."
"While it is certainly important to create a festive atmosphere for people, the main point in all this is the long-term effect of the celebrations," he noted.
"Our strategic goal is to create conditions in Russia, particularly in the Republic of Mordovia, that will allow Finno-Ugric languages and culture to flourish, their rich legacy to be studied, and their friendly contacts with related ethnicities in other countries to be expanded," Mr Putin said.
He went on to share some good news: "By 2012, the Institute of the National Languages and Culture of the Finno-Ugric Peoples will be established at the University of Mordovia in Saransk. The institute should become the centre of all Finno-Ugric research and educational projects."
"There are some problems we need to address over the next few years as well, primarily the construction of the Republic Hospital and Clinics, which is only 70% complete at the moment. We also need to consider medical equipment for the hospital," he said.
"Apart from that, it's also vital to finish construction on the main building and archives of the State University and pay special attention to infrastructure, mainly roads and health and educational facilities," he concluded.
By Anastasia Savinykh