• Academic Leo Taivans: Latvians do everything for immigrants to feel good in this country
• MP Janis Urbanovics: the most urgent problem in Latvia is split of the society

 Academic Leo Taivans (professor of Asian Studies Department of the University of Latvia) believes that Latvians do everything for immigrants to feel good in this country and if there is influx of Turks or Chinese to Latvia, Latvians will start to learn their languages. As an example, Mr Taivans mentions the fact that now a person cannot find a job in Latvia without Russian language proficiency. Mr Taivans also believes that ethnic Latvians as a nation most likely will disappear after couple generations because comparing to others it is a small nation but migration always was and will continue to be. Vesti Segodnya

According to the head of the Concord Centre’s faction in the Parliament Janis Urbanovics, the most urgent problem in Latvia which needs to be solved is split of the society. Mr Urbanovics believes that all other problems will be possible to solve only together.  Mr Urbanovics also expects for a new political party who would be rationally and nationally minded and aimed at development of the state and with such a party the Concord Centre could build partnership. Vesti Segodnya

 

• Latvijas Avize: new Latvian Ambassador in the UN, OSCE and other international organisations Bahtijors Hasans is an example of integration
• 585 persons got fined by the State Language Centre for violation of the State Language Law
• Court refused a claim on Latvianisation of a name Mark

Latvijas Avize reports about the appointment of the new Latvian Ambassador Bahtijors Hasans to the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) and other international organisations in Vienna. According to the newspaper, Mr Hasans arrived to Latvia in 80’s from Uzbekistan as a student of Latvian language and literature and stayed here for residence. Mr Hasans made a diplomatic carrier and received Latvian citizenship for special merits. (Latvijas Avize, 23 July)

585 persons got fined by the State Language Centre for violation of the State Language Law during first six months of 2013. In total, the Centre received 661 complaints about violations during the same period. Vesti Segodnya

The Administrative District Court refused a claim on Latvianisation of a child’s name Mark. As reported, parents of a child who was born in Germany and registered there as Hugo Mark complained, that the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs registering the child in Latvia added Latvian ending –s to the name, thus, he became Marks. The Court argued that there are no reasons to consider that ending –s somehow complicates life of the child, especially because the original spelling of the name is written in his Latvian passport in a special column. Vesti Segodnya (23 July)

• Newspapers report about emigration and immigration statistics
• The court upheld the refusal to write original spelling of a child’s name in the birth certificate

 According to the data of the Central Statistics Bureau, 25 163 persons emigrated from Latvia and 13,303 arrived to Latvia for residence in 2012. 8,427 persons emigrated from Riga to other countries, while 4,776 foreigners became Riga residents in 2012. The biggest number of persons who left Latvia among Latvian regions were from Latgale (eastern part of Latvia) – 4,112, but only 1,771 persons moved to this region for residence. The majority of persons who lived with residence permit in Latvia in 2012 were citizens of other EU countries (59,9% or 7,305) and Russian Federation (22,6% or 3,009). Latvijas Avize, Diena, Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya

The Liepaja Administrative Court upheld the decision of the Civil Registry Office who refused to issue a birth certificate with undistorted spelling of the name and surname of a newborn child. The parents gave their child traditional Russian name "Miron" and wanted to write it in the birth certificate without Latvian ending "–s" as it makes the name consonant with the word “mironis” which means “dead man” in Latvian language. Vesti Segodnya

• Riga City Council granted additional funding for Latvian language courses
• Political scientist Ilga Kreituse: local Russians want to be Latvian Russians, European Russians and therefore do not support radical ideas

The Riga City Council granted LVL 31,736 for five Latvian language learning courses for Riga residents. The priority target group for the courses is personnel of Riga preschool establishments. In total, it is planned to train 489 persons. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with political scientist Ilga Kreituse about the current developments in Latvian politics. According to Mrs Kreituse, the elections to the Riga City Council showed that Russians speakers are less inclined to support radical nationalistic issues than ethnic Latvians. It is approved by the fact that the party “For Native Language” and radically minded leaders gain very little support of Riga residents. Mrs Kreituse believes that ethnic Russian residents of Latvia do not want to become like Russia’s Russians but they want to be Latvian Russians, European Russians and therefore do not support radical ideas. Mrs Kreituse also believes that it is important to follow the activities of the radical Russian activists and from which sources they receive funding.

• Vesti Segodnya: Latvian non-citizens are still unable to travel to the United Arab Emirates
• Baiba Broka:transition of education into Latvian language only is not violence against children

Vesti Segodnya reports thatLatvian non-citizens are still unable to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the MEP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka, the ban on non-citizens of Latvia was imposed year and a half ago, and the UAE authorities argue that such ban is necessary in order to combat the threat of terrorism. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs several times appealed to the UAE officials explaining the special status of Latvian non-citizens. Also the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis during his visit to the UAE mentioned this problem, however, nothing has changed. Mrs Zdanoka considers that now it is a proper time to push again on the UAE as it actively holds conversation with the EU in order to achieve visa-free agreement with the Schengen area.

Head of the nationalists’ union faction in the Riga City Council Baiba Broka in an interview with Latvijas Avize says that the bilingual education system has not proved itself in Latvia as there are still problems with integration. Mrs Broka does not see any violence against children or oppression of democracy in transition education into Latvian language only. Mrs Broka says that a person does not need the genetic compliance to become ethnic Latvian but need a sense of belonging to this nation which is a matter of education and family.