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.

• Diena interviews representatives of the most popular political parties on positions regarding ethnic issues
• Andrejs Judins (member of the political party Unity): dialogue between Russian speaking residents and ethnic Latvians will broke stereotypes
• Well known Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls: it is wrong that the Ministry of Culture works on integration issues

Diena interviews representatives of the most popular political parties – the Concord Centre (CC), the Zatlers Reforms Party (ZRP), the Unity, the Slesers Reforms party Latvias First Party/Latvias Way (SRP-LFP/LW), the Union of Greens and Farmers (UGF), and the nationalists union All for Latvia-For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM (AL-FF/LNIM) on positions regarding ethnic issues. Regarding the state and minority language issues: the AL-FF/LNIM considers that all state funded schools and kindergartens should be gradually transferred only to Latvian language; the SRP-LFP/LW considers that language issues should not be politicized and the state language should be taught better and more intensively both for non-Latvians and for ethnic Latvians; the CC believes that the Latvian should remain the only state language but minority languages should be granted more usage rights; according to the Unity and the UGF, bilingual education system in Latvian is progressive and should not be changed, the ZRP considers that prestige of Latvian language can be raised by promotion of integration and consolidated society. Representatives of all the parties excluding the AL-FF/LNIM agree that Russian language should be taught in Latvia in order to promote competitiveness of young people. Regarding citizenship and naturalisation issues, all the parties excluding the AL-FF/LNIM consider that all children born in Latvia should be granted Latvian citizenship automatically. The CC also considers that citizenship should be granted to graduators of all Latvian secondary schools and some naturalisation procedures requirements should be simplified.

Member of the political party Unity, well known expert in criminal law Andrejs Judins believes that Russian speaking residents should abandon the feeling of being offended by the state, while the state should preserve rights of ethnic minorities for education and native language. Mr Judins believes that stereotypes in society can be broken through constructive dialogue between Russian speaking residents and ethnic Latvians.

Member of the political party Unity, well known expert in criminal law Andrejs Judins believes that Russian speaking residents should abandon the feeling of being offended by the state, while the state should preserve rights of ethnic minorities for education and native language. Mr Judins believes that stereotypes in society can be broken through constructive dialogue between Russian speaking residents and ethnic Latvians. Telegraf

Well known Latvian composer, ex-MP Raimonds Pauls in an interview with

Well known Latvian composer, ex-MP Raimonds Pauls in an interview with Vesti Segodnya stated that it is wrong that the Ministry of Culture works on integration issues. Mr Pauls believes that the Ministry of Culture only speaks about integration instead of promoting integration; instead, the Ministry should take care of theatres, libraries and other cultural issues. Vesti Segodnya