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.

• MP Vladimirs Reskajs: politicians are dividing the society; non-citizenship problem should be solved through compromise

 

Latvijas Avize interviews MP Vladimirs Reskajs (Concord Centre, CC), member of the parliamentary Society Consolidation Committee. Mr. Reskajs maintains that on the everyday level, the society is consolidated, yet the divisions in the society are created by politicians, who are exploiting sensitive issues for their own personal profit. Mr. Reskajs believes that the key to further consolidation of society is development: attitude towards the state, the sense of patriotism and pride would rise if Latvia develops, if the GDP and incomes increase. He agrees it is strange the ruling politicians did not bother to enquire why 274 000 Latvian citizens supported the proposal to grant Russian language the status of the second state language. People have different views, yet it is totally wrong to take the quotes of the few extremists and extrapolate it to the whole community. Mr. Reskajs is disappointed in the Saeima, because it pays too little attention to the development of the country and the welfare of its people. Ethnic issues are an easy ride for many politicians and unfortunately, many voters choose on the basis of ethnic attitudes, not social-economic proposals; after the elections the voters are disappointed, because these politicians are not solving social economic problems, all they can is to play the ethnic card. Non-citizenship is a topical problem and it should be solved not through ultimatums, but through compromise; it is important to legal arguments why part of the society did not get citizenship, while on personal level, it is difficult to explain why someone, who was born in the country and spent all the life here, became a non-citizen.