• Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma: results of a study about the mood of Russian speaking residents in Latvia will be publicly available

In a reply letter to the Saeima’s faction of the Concord Centre, the Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma stated that results of a study about the mood of Russian speaking residents in Latvia ordered by the government will be publicly available. At the same time, the Prime Minister said that detailed information about the study is not public because a decision on it was made at a closed session of the Cabinet of Ministers and has status “for service purposes.” Mrs Straujuma also said that one of the government’s priorities is to strengthen sense of belonging to Latvia and promote society consolidation and use of Latvian language. As reported, the government ordered the study about the mood of Russian speaking residents in Latvia, but all the detailed information about is kept in secret.   Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

• Council on Electronic Mass Media fined the First Baltic Channel for biased information about events in Ukraine
• Luftwaffe Latvian veterans appealed to the Parliament

The Council on Electronic Mass Media fined the First Baltic Channel (1BC) with EUR 3,600 for biased information provided in the news broadcast about events in Ukraine. According to the Council, distribution of biased information about Ukraine may split the society in their attitude towards events in Ukraine. The 1BC got also fined with EUR 1,000 for failure to insure proportion of programmes broadcasted in state language (the 1BC suppose to ensure at least 21% of its broadcast content in Latvian language in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.) Latvijas Avize

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Aboltina and head of the Saeima’s Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee Inara Murniece received a letter from the Foundation of Aviation Veterans or Latvian veterans who during the WWII served in the Luftwaffe with their proposals to the draft law on the status of the WWII veterans and complaint about bad attitude towards them. Members of the Foundation complaint that sometimes they are called fascists, occupants, blamed for committed genocide, and other crimes. The newspaper notes that the letter includes emblem of the Luftwaffe Latvian Legion which has also swastika in it.

• Head of the Russia’s Federal Agency “Rossotrudnichestvo” Konstantin Kosachev: we are not building  a "5th column" in Latvia

Vesti Segodnya interviews the head of the Russia’s Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) Konstantin Kosachev. According to Mr Kosachev “Rossotrudnichestvo” works on popularisation of Russian culture, education and Russian language abroad and aims to improve Russia’s image and better understanding of Russia. Mr Kosachev stressed that the Agency does not form a "5th column" in Latvia. He called to understand that Russian compatriots in Latvia are not representatives of a "5th column" but real Latvian patriots who understand that cultural and economical cooperation with Russia is in the interests of Latvia.

• Latvijas Avize prints an article about one of the leaders of the Congress of Non-Citizens Elizabete Krivcova

Latvijas Avize prints an article about one of the leaders of the Congress of Non-Citizens Elizabete Krivcova. According to the newspaper, Mrs Krivcova is also a member of the political party the Concord Centre (CC), works in the Parliament as an advisor of the CC faction and deputy’s assistant, is a board member in a public organisation “Rights Institute “Conscentia”” and in the Community of Russians in Latvia. The Security Police in its recent Annual Report 2013 mentioned Mrs Krivcova as one of the main activists implementing Russia’s policy on compatriots in Latvia. Head of the CC faction in the Saeima Janis Urbanovics in an interview with the newspaper says that Mrs Krivcova is not a radical person and is involved in the Congress of Non-Citizens believing that the issues of non-citizens is very important in Latvia. At the same time, Mr Urbanovis says that if the Congress of Non-Citizens radicalises she might be forced to decide where to stay. Other members of the CC also do not see any contradiction in the fact the E.Krivcova is a member of political party and activist in different organisations.

• Newspapers provide updated provisional results of the elections to the European Parliament in Latvia

According to the updated provisional results of the elections to the European Parliament (EP) in Latvia, the leading ruling party Unity received 46,19% of the votes (provisionally – 4 (half of the seats allocated to Latvia)), the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM – 14.25%, the Concord – 13,04%, the Union of Green and Farmers – 8.26%, the Latvia's Russian Union – 6,38% (provisionally – 1 seat each), while other parties did not overcome the threshold. Altogether, 30,25% of the eligible voters or 445,493 citizens participated in the elections to the EP in Latvia. Most likely, Latvia will be represented in the EP by the following persons: Valdis Dombrovskis (or Inese Vaidere if Dombrovskis takes the post in the European Commission), Sandra Kalniete, Artis Pabriks, Arturs Krisjanis-Karins (all representing the Unity), Roberts Zile (nationalists’ union), Andrejs Mamikins (the Concord), Iveta Grugule (Union of Green and Farmers), and Tatjana Zdanoka (Latvia's Russian Union). Latvijas Avize, Diena