• MEP Roberts Zile: Latvia should attract guest workers from China rather than from Russia

One of the leaders of the nationalists’ political union For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM-All for Latvia!, MEP Roberts Zile believes that Latvia should attract guest workers from China rather than from Russia in order to compensate labour force shortages. Mr. Zile believes that Russians are dangerous for ethnic Latvian culture. Mr. Zile also believes that Chinese would learn Latvian language and integrate in the society quicker than Russians.

One of the leaders of the nationalists political union For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM-All for Latvia!, MEP Roberts Zile believes that Latvia should attract guest workers from China rather than from Russia in order to compensate labour force shortages. Mr. Zile believes that Russians are dangerous for ethnic Latvian culture. Mr. Zile also believes that Chinese would learn Latvian language and integrate in the society quicker than Russians. Telegraf, Chas

• Minister of Transport Kaspars Gerhards refused to speak Russian at a Russian language TV live broadcast
• MP Martins Roze: there are only two ethnic minority groups – Livonians and Roma

Newspapers report that the Minister of Transport Kaspars Gerhards refused to speak Russian at a Russian language TV live broadcast “Un-censored.” The Minister got invited to the channel’s TV5 broadcast in order to speak about issues under his competence but Mr. Gerhards from the very beginning replied to the broadcast’s host in Latvian and when asked to speak Russian refused it and left the studio. TV5’s management asserts the Minister was informed that the broadcast is in Russian, while Mr. Gerhards asserts that he informed the broadcast’s editors that he will speak only in Latvian. In previous years, Mr. Gerhards used to give interviews in very good Russian to journalists of Russian-language TV and radio broadcasts in his official capacity. Head of the National Radio and Television Council Abrams Kleckins commenting the incident stated that it is a scandal that the state official who’s mother tongue is Latvian was demanded to speak Russian and that it contradicts the State Language law. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf, Latvijas Avize, Diena, Neatkariga

One of the leaders of the Union of Greens and Farmers, MP Martins Roze in an interview with Latvijas Avize stated that there are only two ethnic minority groups – Livonians and Roma because they do not have their own homeland but have own culture. Mr. Roze believes that so-called Russian speaking residents of Latvia do not have one shared culture or origin because among them are Russians, Belorussians, Jews and representatives of other ethnicities. And, therefore, their culture and language are not endangered because these are preserved in their homeland.

• Opinion survey: only 26% of Russian speakers support studying history of Latvia in schools as a separate subject
• Yesterday Latvian citizenship was granted to 228 persons

According to the latest public opinion survey held by “DnB NORD barometrs”, only 26% of Russian speakers support studying history of Latvia in schools as a separate subject. Among ethnic Latvians such idea is supported by 53%. 54% of Russian speakers and 34% ethnic Latvians consider that history of Latvia should be studied together with world history. History of Latvia will be introduced as a separate subject in elementary schools starting with next school year. Vesti Segodnya

Yesterday, the government granted Latvian citizenship to 228 persons who went trough naturalisation. The majority of new citizens or 74% are ethnic Russians. 1,196 persons received Latvian citizenship during 2010. Chas, Latvijas Avize

• State Language Centre punished a bank for public placement of advertisement posters which do not comply with requirements of the State Language Law
• Government might accept the Basic Integration Guidelines 2011-2017 until the Saeimas elections
• Politician Andris Skele: municipal services cannot be refused to a person due to insufficient Latvian language proficiency
• Political scientist Juris Rozenvalds: there is a lack of national idea in Latvia

The State Language Centre punished a bank with pecuniary penalty of LVL 100 (EUR 140) for public placement of advertisement posters which do not comply with requirements of the State Language Law. The text of the posters calling foreign investors to invest money in Latvia in order to receive permanent residence permit was written in Russian, Latvian and English but text type in Russian was two times bigger than in Latvian (state) language. According to the State Language Law, if information in state language is placed alongside with information in foreign language the text in state language should not be smaller than in foreign language.

The State Language Centre punished a bank with pecuniary penalty of LVL 100 (EUR 140) for public placement of advertisement posters which do not comply with requirements of the State Language Law. The text of the posters calling foreign investors to invest money in Latvia in order to receive permanent residence permit was written in Russian, Latvian and English but text type in Russian was two times bigger than in Latvian (state) language. According to the State Language Law, if information in state language is placed alongside with information in foreign language the text in state language should not be smaller than in foreign language. Diena

Telegraf reports that the present government might accept the Basic Integration Guidelines 2011-2017 until the Saeimas elections. According to the newspaper, the Ministry of Justice which now is responsible for elaboration of the document urgently prepares it for final approval in the Cabinet of Ministers. The Integration Guidelines have been elaborated already for fifth year and conceptually changed several times.

According to a politician and one of the leaders of the party For Better Latvia! Andris Skele, municipal services should be available to every person and cannot be refused due to insufficient Latvian language proficiency. Mr Skele state that “the fact that there is only official language in the country does not mean that other languages should be forgotten and forbidden.”

According to a politician and one of the leaders of the party For Better Latvia! Andris Skele, municipal services should be available to every person and cannot be refused due to insufficient Latvian language proficiency. Mr Skele state that the fact that there is only official language in the country does not mean that other languages should be forgotten and forbidden. Chas

Political scientist Juris Rozenvalds believes that there is a lack of national idea in Latvia and, therefore, political parties continue to base their policy on ethnic conflict. Mr. Rozenvalds believes that protection of state language and culture cannot serve as a basis for consolidation of the society.

Political scientist Juris Rozenvalds believes that there is a lack of national idea in Latvia and, therefore, political parties continue to base their policy on ethnic conflict. Mr. Rozenvalds believes that protection of state language and culture cannot serve as a basis for consolidation of the society. Chas

• Number of guest workers employed in Latvia continues to decrease
• Minister of Interior Linda Murniece: amendments to the Immigration Law did not give expected economic effect

According to the State Employment Agency, 420 work permissions were approved for guest workers in Latvia during first six months of 2010. In comparison, 779 applications were approved during the same period in 2009 and 1,728 applications in 2008. Majority of guest workers arrived from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.

According to the State Employment Agency, 420 work permissions were approved for guest workers in Latvia during first six months of 2010. In comparison, 779 applications were approved during the same period in 2009 and 1,728 applications in 2008. Majority of guest workers arrived from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Chas, Telegraf

The Minister of Interior Linda Murniece believes that the amendments to the Immigration Law which eased residence permit procedures for foreign investors did not give expected economic effect. Since the amendments became effective on 1 July only few applications for residence permit were submitted from large new investors.

The Minister of Interior Linda Murniece believes that the amendments to the Immigration Law which eased residence permit procedures for foreign investors did not give expected economic effect. Since the amendments became effective on 1 July only few applications for residence permit were submitted from large new investors. Vesti Segodnya, Neatkariga