Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

Integration and Minority Information Service

Integration and Minority Information Service
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• Russia continues to draw attention to the situation of non-citizens in the Baltic States
• Prime Minister Repse has not associated the President of Parex bank with providing funding for protest activities
• Riga City Council did not issue the permission to organise a protest meeting against the implementation of the education reform at the Saeima on 2 June
• Interview with leader of the Socialist Party Alfreds Rubiks

When preparing for the EU and Russia summit in St.Petersburg Russia tried to include on the diplomatic agenda the issue concerning the Russian-speaking population in the Baltic states. Russia set a condition: if in the final document the EU wants to talk about the Pridenstr issue, Russia will speak about the situation of Russians in the Baltic states. A Latvian diplomat commented that from the side of Russia it was a tactical step to block the inclusion of the unpleasant issue in the final document. Lately Russia has tried several times to discuss the issue of Russians in the Baltic states on the international arena. In response to the speech of the Vice Speaker of the Russian State Duma Lubova Sliska in the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO, an expert commission will come to Latvia in the fall to examine the situation of non-citizens. Diena, Neatkariga, Lauku Avize

Prime Minister Einars Repse denies having associated the president of Parex bank, Valery Kargin, with providing funding for anti-Latvian activities aimed at the formation of a two-community society in Latvia. In his turn, Valery Kargin said that the bank could not be viewed as disloyal towards the Latvian state as the bank has provided funding for the NATO summit in Prague and neither he nor the bank has provided funding for political demonstrations or meetings during the last years. Diena, Lauku Avize

The Riga City Council did not issue the permission to organise a protest meeting against the implementation of the education reform outside the Saeima on 2 June. However, FHRUL youth organisation will organise the meeting anyway and expect that about 500 people will attend the meeting. Lauku Avize, Vesti Segodnya

Chas

talks to the leader of the Socialist Party Alfreds Rubiks. He states that there are too many differences between the Socialist party and Equality and therefore there will not be one party – FHRUL – anymore. He believes that if Prime Minister Einars Repse would realise that the proposed amendments to the Citizenship Law and Municipality Election Law comply with international requirements and it brings a benefit for him, he would amend these laws.

Vesti Segodnya

comments on examinations for 9th graders. The newspaper notes that although Russian students could take examinations in Russian, the content of some examinations – history, literature – hinted that the Soviet occupation and people who came to Latvia at that time brought much negative for Latvia.