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.

• Interview with the Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Latvia Vaira Paegle
• Minister of Justice Solvita Aboltina about amendments to the Citizenship Law
• Columnist of The Wall Street Journal Vladimir Sokor talks about the minority situation in Latvia
• NGO ‘Union of Citizens and Non-Citizens publishes the compilation of its communication with state institutions on minority issues

Vesti Segodnya features an interview with the Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Latvia Vaira Paegle (the Peoples Party). The Parliamentary Secretary believes that there is no necessity to ratify the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, however, if ratification takes place, reservations should be made. The state official believes that the key task of the Convention is the protection of those minorities, whose existence is endangered, or whose languages or cultures are disappearing. According to the official the Convention does not foresee the protection of national minorities.

Chas prints the statements of the Minister of Justice Solvita Aboltina about the necessary amendments to the Citizenship Law. The Minister states that amendments that would facilitate naturalisation of politically repressed persons and orphans should be adopted while the Law should also ban the acquisition of Latvian citizenship to those persons, who do not observe effective legal norms.

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the columnist of The Wall Street Journal Vladimir Sokor, who writes about the former soviet republics and ethnic conflicts. When asked to comment on the minority situation in Latvia, the columnist states that no single state in Europe defines Soviet time immigrants as national minorities. Vladimir Sokor believes that Latvia should not grant non-citizens the right to participate in municipal elections because it would be a first step towards the formation of territorial autonomies. He basis his arguments on the fact that Latvian non-citizens form a majority in six Latvias largest cities. According to the columnist, granting of voting rights to non-citizens would hamper naturalisation and reduce their willingness to learn the Latvian language.

The non-governmental organisation ‘Union of Citizens and Non-Citizens’ has published the compilation of their correspondence with state institutions on minority issues. Representatives of the NGO believe that there is no dialogue between the state and ethnic minorities.

The non-governmental organisation ‘Union of Citizens and Non-Citizens has published the compilation of their correspondence with state institutions on minority issues. Representatives of the NGO believe that there is no dialogue between the state and ethnic minorities. Chas