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.

• Official commemoration event of the Defeat of Nazism and the End of the WWII held yesterday
• Vesti Segodnya interviews the director of the Centre of Social Memory Research Vita Zelce about the attitude to the end of the WWII in Latvia
• Russian Ambassador to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov: Latvia overwrote for itself the history of the XX century
• Saeima raised the minimum price of real estate necessary for third country nationals to receive the residence permit through easier procedure

Newspapers report about official commemoration event of the Defeat of Nazism and the End of the WWII held yesterday, on 8 May. The President of Latvia, high state officials, veterans of the Red Army, Latvian legionnaires, and young people took part in the event in Riga Brothers' Cemetery. Neatkariga, Latvijas Avize

Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with the director of the Centre of Social Memory Research, academic Vita Zelce about the attitude to the end of the WWII and commemoration of it on 8 and 9 May. Accoding to V.Zelce, the end of the WWII today has the great meaning because it play important role in self-identification of Latvian residents – connected with those who fought on one or the other side, with fates of repressed by one or the other side. Large part of Latvian residents and their ancestors arrived to the country during Soviet era when Latvia as independent state was liquidated. In their system of values the WWII was the triumph of the Soviet Union, but in the perception of those residents who lived in Latvia before the war – liquidation of independent state was the greatest loss and the root of all following tragedies, says V.Zelce. She also notes that although the war ended nearly 70 years ago it is still "alive" because it is actively used in politics, in fight for influence on people’s minds, in pre-election campaigns, in order to discredit the opponent.

The Russian Ambassador to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov in an interview with Vesti Segodnya stated that Latvia for itself overwrote the history of the XX century and wants to fix it legally inside the country and to bring it to international arena. Among such ideas the Ambassador mentioned equalising responsibility of Germany and the USSR for the outbreak of the war, assertion that there were no winners in the war, attempts to justify the Waffen SS legionnaires, and the whole concept about the Soviet occupation converted into indisputable dogma and “symbol of faith”. The Ambassador also stated that the attempts to denigrate the 9 May show that the Latvian governing elite does not see itself among the inheritors of the Victory and is afraid that it could be suspected of national betrayal and solidarity with Russia.

Yesterday, the Saeima supported in the final reading draft amendments to the Immigration Law stipulating to raise to EUR 250,000 the minimum value of real estate bought in Latvia which is necessary for receiving residence permit through special procedure. The new regulation will come into force on 1 September 2014. Currently, the minimum cost of a real estate in Riga and its region and the biggest Latvian cities allowing to receive residence permit is EUR 142 300 and in other Latvian regions is EUR 71 150. The initiator of such amendments was the nationalists’ union All for Latvia/FF-LNIM who wants to achieve total suspension of such regulation. Diena, Neatkariga