From: ryyti@jyu.fi (Jarmo Ryyti)
Subject: Re: Mail in Russia
Organization: University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 08:22:07 GMT

In article <1992Aug14.172559.7169@physics.ucla.edu> viznyuk@physics.ucla.edu (Sergei Viznyuk) writes:
>In article <1992Aug14.055750.8148@jyu.fi> ryyti@jyu.fi (Jarmo Ryyti) writes:
>>
>>I am warned by the many ethnic Finns living in Russia as well as by
>>the estonians who know these russian mates: "Never trust a Russian,
>                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>  And I have heard many times: "Never trust Finnish jerks,
>such as Jarmo Ryyti".
>
>>he is able to put a knife into your back with a friendly smile ."
>>Jarmo
>
>  Kusai za kh*i, Jarmo.
>Serega

Dear Serega,
The fact is that so I am told by the ethnic Finns living in
 Karelia and estonians.
The Ethnic Finns have their reasons, they were doported from Ingria,
the area of Leningrad is called Ingria( in Finnish Inkeri) , to Sibiria or
their parents had been deported (like Crimean tatars,germans etc etc etc)
and even today they are not allowed to return their own villages
in Leningrad area.
The estonians have their reasons.
The fact is that historically the russians? and the Finns do not trust each
others. From a Finnish point of view it is quite clear if we or I compare
 our realationship with two other neigbours we have Norway and Sweden that
our third neighbour has during this whole century been quite opressive
towards Finland/Finns so why to hide a fact. Better is to discuss the
reasons openly so. There are such "undiscutable"
issues like the occupation of Karelia, deportions,Winter War 1939-40...
and if we refuse to discuss those like Yeltsin said "there is no Karelian
question to be discussed" it means just that everybody pretends everything
is ok. Ok you say they were not russians but soviets,
 the problem is that the Finns
do not think so, "they were not russians but soviets" for us they were
russians.

During 75 years Moscow tried to change Finlands social system, even
with a war so there is no wonder if there is mistrust. We know however
a little about russians compared with ethnic Finns in Russia or
estonians. I also have wondered why they do say so for me " be dareful..."

I am the one which definately wish that the our neighbour Russia
 were a normal
state finally, an european state in its whole meaning until it is not
it is no wonder that there is mistrust.

An example why Russia is not or XSU was not an European country was
the demand to get more space around Leningrad/STPburg and thus
demand the Finns to remouve her borders more away from the 
neighbourhood of Leningrad. If the other European countries would start
similar claims on their neighbours so the Danes would
demand Sweden  to remove her borders
more far because they are too near Copenhagen, Austria would make similar
demands to Chechoslovakia because of Wien , the Swiss for the French because
it is just 25 kms to the border from Geneva. THe russians  in this sence
are not acting normal european way because still there is a demand to keep
"Lebensraum" around Leningrad and Finnish border as far as possible and
thus occupie former Finnish Karelia.


 If the Russians mistrust the Finns
there must be objective reasons too for that. But pretending everything
is alright when a big power says so for a smaller one is false politics.
I am visitng Russia in order to learn more and I have mostly good
experiences and I know many nice people over there.
 
I hope that Serega was not the ranks of those people who from XSU side
opressed Finland with different means during for instance so called
Cold War period. However the money which came to our "home commies"
from Moscow is now under an investigation finally, when the communists
were in power in Moscow the Finns were afraid to investigate that
thing even if it was "a known secret."
The relationship between Russia and Finland however has always been
traumatic at least from the Finnish side, just because the Finns consider
Russia/SU as an super power which want smore "Lebensraum" especially
in the neighborhood of Finland. Compare Sweden and Norway.

I do not like wars or flame wars even the less but exanching opinions
I find interesting.

Jarmo Ryyti


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