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

• Report of the Open Society Institute Monitoring the EU Accession Process:

Minority Protection

• Interview with Special Task Minister of the Societal Integration Nils Muiznieks
• On-line discussion with Integration Minister tomorrow
• Interview with former ambassador to Russia, politician Janis Peters
• NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson: Latvia has made progress on integration
• Latvian Human Rights Committee celebrates its 10th anniversary
• Discussions about progress report of the European Commission on Latvia
• Telegraf
reports about the visit of journalists from the Russian Federation.

Lauku Avize

comments the report of the Open Society Institute Monitoring the EU Accession Process: Minority Protection Lauku Avizes columnist Maris Antonevics recalls that last year the report about Latvia was written by Boriss Kolchanov from NGO Baltic Insight, which is headed by pro-minority party FHRUL MP Boris Tsilevich, and that last years report reflected only views depicted in the Russian language press on the minority situation in Latvia. Although this year the report is prepared by researcher of the NGO Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies Svetlana Dyachkova, according to Lauku Avize the report is tendentious. Antonevics stresses that the researcher mainly provides views about societal integration presented by Russian and minority organisations, but does not reflect opinions and views of organisations which are satisfied and are working successfully with the National Programme for Social Integration.

Lauku Avize

talks to Special Task Minister for the Societal Integration Nils Muiznieks. He believes that the formation of the Advisory Council on National Affairs and closer co-operation among different ministries in the realm of integration will foster a dialogue with national minorities. Muiznieks reports that experts are working together with statistic specialists at the development of an integration-indicator system, which will attempt to measure the level of integration of society. He states that some minorities, such as Poles and Jews, are well-organised in Latvia, therefore it will be easy to have a dialogue with them, while the Russian minority is rather split. According to Muiznieks, the Russian language is not a typical minority language and it does not need the same support as other minority languages, however, the Russian language has its special role in the history of Latvia.

Chas

columnist Leonid Fedoseyev reports that tomorrow Special Task Minister of the Societal Integration Nils Muiznieks will participate in the on-line discussion forum. Fedoseyev also comments on priorities of the societal integration in Latvia. According to him, integration should start with Latvians, that is, Latvians should realise that Russian-speakers and non-citizens are people who are entitled to the same rights as Latvians.

Chas

interviews former Latvian Ambassador to Russia, member of the Latvian First Party Janis Peters. He believes that integration is one of Latvias key tasks, however, he is convinced that people residing in Latvia were not and will not be involved in violent ethnic conflicts. Janis Peters states that Nils Muiznieks is one of the best candidates for the newly established post of the Special Task Minister of the Societal Integration, as Muiznieks is a man of dialogues. He concludes that people in Latvia are still sick with ethnic infantilism which it is time to get rid of.

Vesti Segodnya

reports about the meeting of NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson with influential businessmen from Russia in Moscow. One Russian businessman, Igor Yurgen, reports that they discussed the situation of national minorities in Latvia as well. Regarding ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Lord Robertson did not provide any clear position, however, he assured that NATO had and will thoroughly follow the situation of national minorities and integration in Latvia. Lord Robertson also noted that Latvia has achieved progress in this sphere.

The pro-minority NGO Latvian Human Rights Committee celebrates its 10th anniversary today. LHRC member Yuriy Kotov features an article about the activities of the Committee during these 10 years. He states that the influence of the Committee increased after it won a number of court cases against the Department of Citizenship and Migration Affairs concerning the rights of non-Latvians in the period of residents registration in 1991. Kotov stresses that experts of the Committee were successful in hundreds of cases regarding the protection of rights of national minorities. Telegraf

Panorama Latvii

provides some statistics: in 1992 the majority of complaints received were about refusal to register a person in the Residents Register; in 1999 the majority of complaints were regarding expulsion of a person from Latvia; presently, the most topical problem is housing issues.

Yesterday the Cabinet of Ministers did not adopt the plan of activities aimed at the implementation of EU recommendations, mentioned in the progress report of the European Commission on Latvia, such as ratification of the Framework Convention, promoting the speed of naturalisation and others. The Cabinet of Ministers delegated the final elaboration of the plan to the European Integration Bureau. Vesti Segodnya comments that the Latvian Government as usual tries to pretend that there are no recommendations and hopes that the EU itself will forget about these recommendations. Telegraf

Telegraf

reports about the visit of journalists from the Russian Federation. This year it is already the third visit of journalists from Russia in the framework of the project co-organised with the American Foundation Freedom House and the Institute of Latvia. The aim of the project is to provide information about Russian-speakers in Latvia to audiences in Russia directly from primary sources.