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.

Press Review

Press Review

According to the information distributed by the he Russian information agency Interfax the European Union asks the Latvian government to speed up the integration of the Russian -speaking minority. During the presentation at the Russian State Humanitarian University in Moscow the EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek stressed that the Citizenship Law amendments adopted by the Saeima are "important step towards the social integration in Latvia." The EU Commissioner confirmed that along with the adoption of these amendments the main recommendations of the OSCE are implemented. Still, the EU hopes for the sooner implementation of these amendments. Mr. van den Broek also emphasized how important it is that the international community welcomes these steps since it would facilitate the implementation of the amendments.

According to the information distributed by the he Russian information agency Interfax the European Union asks the Latvian government to speed up the integration of the Russian -speaking minority. During the presentation at the Russian State Humanitarian University in Moscow the EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek stressed that the Citizenship Law amendments adopted by the Saeima are "important step towards the social integration in Latvia." The EU Commissioner confirmed that along with the adoption of these amendments the main recommendations of the OSCE are implemented. Still, the EU hopes for the sooner implementation of these amendments. Mr. van den Broek also emphasized how important it is that the international community welcomes these steps since it would facilitate the implementation of the amendments. Diena

Referring to the economic sanction of Russia, the DIENA commentator Aivars Ozolins states that the sanctions most likely will continue and along with the aggravation of the economic and the political situation in Russia, they will be more intensive. Therefore, it would be more useful to learn from the experience of Estonians - to search for new markets in the West.

Referring to the economic sanction of Russia, the DIENA commentator Aivars Ozolins states that the sanctions most likely will continue and along with the aggravation of the economic and the political situation in Russia, they will be more intensive. Therefore, it would be more useful to learn from the experience of Estonians - to search for new markets in the West. Diena

Yesterday the Council of the Russian Federation adopted the appeal to the Russian President to intensify the pressure against Latvia in order to protect the rights of non-citizen. The initiator of this appeal was the Mayor of Moscow Jury Luzhkov who considers the fact that the holders of the former USSR internal passports can return to Latvia only after receiving a visa, to be "an unprecedented violation of human rights."

Yesterday the Council of the Russian Federation adopted the appeal to the Russian President to intensify the pressure against Latvia in order to protect the rights of non-citizen. The initiator of this appeal was the Mayor of Moscow Jury Luzhkov who considers the fact that the holders of the former USSR internal passports can return to Latvia only after receiving a visa, to be "an unprecedented violation of human rights." Diena, Panorama Latvii

The Central Electoral Commission ask the government to allot additional 53,000 Lats for the carrying out the collection of the signatures for the referendum.

The Central Electoral Commission ask the government to allot additional 53,000 Lats for the carrying out the collection of the signatures for the referendum. B&B argues that once more the tax-payers who are non-citizens will have to pay for the activities of national-radicals which are directed against the very non-citizens. According to the law, only citizens have rights to participate in the referendum. B&B, Chas

According to Mr. Zaletaev, the journalist of

According to Mr. Zaletaev, the journalist of Panorama Latvii, the money given by the Soros Fund in Latvia, the Swedish Institute and the Norwegian Embassy for the carrying out the Informative Program for the naturalization, is wasted since the action instead of getting support for the naturalization, initiated the flow of very critical opinions about it. As the main reason of this failure, Mr. Zaletaev names the wrong underlying assumption of the activities according to which the slow naturalization process is not related with the politics. According to Mr. Zaletaev, the issues of citizenship and naturalization are 99% of the political nature.

Yesterday the State President Guntis Ulmanis met with the Minister of Education and Science Janis Gaigals to talk about the issues related with the Latvian language in schools. The State President believes that the government should financially promote those teachers who have taken the big responsibility to teach the state language on the high level to the people of other nationalities. The State President agreed with the Minister that under certain circumstances (for instance in places where there are many schools with the Russian language as the language of instruction, the term for the certification of the state language might be prolonged.

Yesterday the State President Guntis Ulmanis met with the Minister of Education and Science Janis Gaigals to talk about the issues related with the Latvian language in schools. The State President believes that the government should financially promote those teachers who have taken the big responsibility to teach the state language on the high level to the people of other nationalities. The State President agreed with the Minister that under certain circumstances (for instance in places where there are many schools with the Russian language as the language of instruction, the term for the certification of the state language might be prolonged. SM

Mr. Arkadev,

Mr. Arkadev, SM journalist, criticizes the Latvian Prime Minister for asking guarantees against new recommendations from the OSCE by arguing that the OSCE is an international organization whose one of the tasks is to evaluate the conformity of one or another country - the member of the OSCE - with the European standards, as well as to monitor the fulfilment of the international obligations by that country. Mr. Arkadev ironically suggests that the Tevzemei un Brivibai could organize a referendum on the discontinuing the Latvia's membership in the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and even the UN, and then " for sure nobody will recommend Latvia anything." SM