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
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• Russias Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Chizov on obstacles to signing border agreement with Latvia
• Entry visa denied to the vice speaker of the Russian State Council Dmitry Rogozin
• Latvias First Party want to reorganize special task secretariats to ministries
• 1,000 protesters demonstrate against education reform
• Non-governmental organization Cita Politika calls for moratorium on the implementation of the education reform
• Vesti Segodnya suggests OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekeus positive statements on education reform have been exaggerated in Latvian media
• Russian intellectuals request the cancellation of the education reform in Latvia
• Defenders of Russian-Language Schools will explain the objections against the education reform to the Latvian-speaking part of the society
• Researcher supports the proposal to grant automatic citizenship for non-citizens children

Lack of progress in the observation of minority rights in Latvia is the main obstacle to the signing of the border agreement between Russia and Latvia, stated the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Chizov after consultations between the Foreign Affairs Ministries of Russia and Latvia. The Russian official stressed that the demands of Russia fully correspond to the recommendations of international human rights institutions.

Lack of progress in the observation of minority rights in Latvia is the main obstacle to the signing of the border agreement between Russia and Latvia, stated the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Chizov after consultations between the Foreign Affairs Ministries of Russia and Latvia. The Russian official stressed that the demands of Russia fully correspond to the recommendations of international human rights institutions. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia has refused a visa application of the vice speaker of he Russia State Council Dmitry Rogozin. The refusal is motivated with the lack of specificity of the goal of his visit in his application. The Ministry also believes that the previous expressions of the Dmitry Rogozin do not indicate a desire to develop a constructive inter-state dialogue. The Headquarters for the defence of Russian language schools of Latvia have invited the Vice Speaker of the Russian State Council as a guest of a congress against the education reform to be held in Riga on 6 March.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia has refused a visa application of the vice speaker of he Russia State Council Dmitry Rogozin. The refusal is motivated with the lack of specificity of the goal of his visit in his application. The Ministry also believes that the previous expressions of the Dmitry Rogozin do not indicate a desire to develop a constructive inter-state dialogue. The Headquarters for the defence of Russian language schools of Latvia have invited the Vice Speaker of the Russian State Council as a guest of a congress against the education reform to be held in Riga on 6 March. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Latvia’s First Party leader Ainars Slesers has announced that when forming a new government, the party will call for the reorganizing of the secretariats of the two special task ministers -- the Social Integration Affairs and the Child and Family Affairs -- into ministries.

Latvias First Party leader Ainars Slesers has announced that when forming a new government, the party will call for the reorganizing of the secretariats of the two special task ministers -- the Social Integration Affairs and the Child and Family Affairs -- into ministries. Diena

About 1,000 participants protested against the education reform last Friday in Riga. The protestors were also called upon by the Headquarters to defend the contentious anti-reform video clip, which includes a distorted version of a Pink Floyd song and which the Security Police is in the process of evaluating for possible incitement charges.

About 1,000 participants protested against the education reform last Friday in Riga. The protestors were also called upon by the Headquarters to defend the contentious anti-reform video clip, which includes a distorted version of a Pink Floyd song and which the Security Police is in the process of evaluating for possible incitement charges. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neakariga Rita Avize, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

The non-governmental organization “Cita Politika” (“Other Policy”) has issued a  call for a moratorium on the implementation of the education reform. The leader of the NGO Riga Vice-Mayor Sergey Dolgopolov believes that it is necessary to make amendments to the Law on Education, which would establish transitional provisions during this moratorium. In the view of the politician, the moratorium should not have a set deadline but instead be in place until all the minority schools would be ready for the implementation of the reform.

The non-governmental organization Cita Politika (Other Policy) has issued a call for a moratorium on the implementation of the education reform. The leader of the NGO Riga Vice-Mayor Sergey Dolgopolov believes that it is necessary to make amendments to the Law on Education, which would establish transitional provisions during this moratorium. In the view of the politician, the moratorium should not have a set deadline but instead be in place until all the minority schools would be ready for the implementation of the reform. Diena, Chas

Vesti Segodnya writes about the meeting of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekeus and the observer to the European Parliament Boris Tsilevitch (Saeima MP from Peoples Harmony Party). According to Boris Tsilevich, the Latvian media and even the statements from the Presidents office regarding the High Commissioners full-fledged support for the education reform and appreciation of the constructive approach of the Latvian government to the solution of the problem have been exaggerated. Boris Tsilevitch claims that during his meeting with Rolf Ekeus, the High Commissioner had disclaimed such statements, stressing that he had spoken about the necessity to develop a dialogue between minorities and the state and also pointed to the necessity to guarantee the maintenance of the quality of education for minority children during the implementation of the reform. Boris Tsilevitch has asked the High Commissioner to become a mediator in the dialogue between the state and minorities.

Several famous Russian intellectuals – chairman of the International Association of the Russia Writers’ Union Nikita Mihalkov, chairman of the Russia Writers’ Union Valentin Rasputin, academician Dmitry Lvov and others – have signed an open letter to the ambassador of Latvia to Russia Normans Penke, requesting the cancellation of the education reform in Latvia. The Russian intellectuals believe that the Russian language in Latvia is suppressed and that “the rough pressure on the use of one of the major world’s languages in the learning process represents a relapse to fascism in the renewed Europe”.

Several famous Russian intellectuals – chairman of the International Association of the Russia Writers Union Nikita Mihalkov, chairman of the Russia Writers Union Valentin Rasputin, academician Dmitry Lvov and others – have signed an open letter to the ambassador of Latvia to Russia Normans Penke, requesting the cancellation of the education reform in Latvia. The Russian intellectuals believe that the Russian language in Latvia is suppressed and that the rough pressure on the use of one of the major worlds languages in the learning process represents a relapse to fascism in the renewed Europe. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-Language Schools is planning to intensify the work with the Latvian-speaking part of the society. According to the activist of the Headquarters Genadij Kotov, during the Congress of the Defenders of Russian language schools an appeal to Latvians will be adopted, explaining the main objections from the side of minorities against the education reform.

Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-Language Schools is planning to intensify the work with the Latvian-speaking part of the society. According to the activist of the Headquarters Genadij Kotov, during the Congress of the Defenders of Russian language schools an appeal to Latvians will be adopted, explaining the main objections from the side of minorities against the education reform. Chas

Diena features an article by research assistant of the Ethnic Research Centre at the University of Latvia Institute of Philosophy and Sociology Sigita Zankovska-Odina about the naturalization process in Latvia. According to the researcher, in order to ensure the sense of belonging to Latvia of the children of non-citizens and to avoid the transfer of resentment from one generation to the next, the recent expert recommendation that citizenship should be granted automatically to all newborn, while retaining the possibility for parents to refuse this opportunity, should be supported.