Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 After discussions on whether Estonia should withdraw due to the Russian participation in the 2008 South Ossetia war in Georgia, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) announced that, due to public demand, they would participate at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, to be held in Moscow. In August 2008 Estonian Minister of Culture Laine Jänes announced a possible boycott could be held between the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Latvia later rebuked the boycott and announced that they would be present at the 2009 contest. In September 2008 a public poll was held on
Languages of Estonia residing in the coastal areas and islands of what is now western and northern Estonia. The beginning of the continuous settlement of Estonian Swedes in these areas (known as "Aiboland") dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, when their Swedish-speaking ancestors arrived in Estonia from what is now Sweden and Finland. Almost all of Estonia's Swedish-speaking minority fled to Sweden during World War II, and only the descendants of a few individuals who opted to stay are permanently resident in Estonia today. The Estonian Sign Language (ESL, ) is the national sign language of Estonia. In 1998 there were