• Head of the State Language Centre Maris Baltins: arguments for provision of public information in Russian are demagogy which sends people the wrong signal 

Diena interviews the head of the State Language Centre (SLC) Maris Baltins. Last year, the SLC inspectors fined 769 natural persons for insufficient usage of the state language at work, including around 50 teachers of minority schools. According to Mr Baltins, the SLC is not a repressive institution and most of the fines are lowest possible: 35 Euros. There are 18 language inspectors at the SLC and each of them is engaged in checking complaints and fulfilling certain control programme. Some deputies of municipalities are not sufficiently proficient in the state language and the SLC is likely to file court applications to deprive such deputies of the mandates of their voters. The SLC is opposed to distribution of important public information in Russian. The head of the Oncology patients’ association "Dzivibas koks" (Lifetree) Gunita Berke believes it is important to provide information about the screening also in Russian language, because the main risk group for breast cancer are women above 50 years of age and many people in this category are not so fluent in the state language as to understand medical information. Provision of information in Russian would increase the response rate. Mr Baltins dismisses this argument as a demagogy which sends people the wrong signal: learn Latvian, but if there is some important information we will address you in the language you understand. Mr Baltins does not see a "high aim" of such approach, believes it will discourage people from learning the state language and in no other country public communication with the society could take place in a language other than the state language. 

• 90th anniversary of the "Days of Russian culture in Latvia" 

The "Days of Russian culture in Latvia" are scheduled for 22 May – 7 June. The "Days of Russian culture in Latvia" are organised by Latvia’s Russian minority civil society since 1925 and this year’s festival will be the 90th anniversary. 178 various cultural events will be held within the framework of the festival – performances and works by musicians, singers, dancers, artists, creative arts teams, writers, researchers – covering both folk and classical aspects of Russian culture. Vesti Segodnya

 

• Aivars Slucis announces contest on "decolonisation of Latvia" 

American medical specialist and Latvian nationalist Aivars Slucis has announced a youth contest "Why Latvia’s decolonisation is necessary". Information about the contest is published at the homepage of the political party "National Union" and the top 10 authors will be awarded EUR 1,000 to 5,000. The same contest was held in 1995. The newspaper also notes that Mr. Slucis is American national, living in the USA and rarely visits Latvia. Vesti Segodnya (18.05)

• Latvijas Avize prints an article about refugees
• Union of Citizens and Non-citizens sentan open letter to the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Latvijas Avize prints an article about refugees by Anna Zigure (former diplomat). About half of the article quotes memories of Latvian WWII refugees who escaped fromLatvia in 1944 mainly by fishing boats as well as quotes of how did Swedish media reported the arrival of Latvian refugees. The author of the article stresses thatLatvia has to show its solidarity in accommodation of refugees from African countries remembering that without compassion of other nations Latvians would not be able to survive inSiberia and in the Western countries.Latvia with other countries should achieve that it is able to propose how many and what kind of refugees it can accommodate, says the author. The refugees will have to be taught Latvian language, history and mentality, and some profession. It is important to achieve that the refugees would strengthenLatvia, state language and give new strength to the economy.

Vesti Segodnya publishes an open letter to the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg by the head of theUnion of Citizens and Non-citizens Vladimirs Sokolovs. Mr Soklovs asks the Secretary General to explain whether the aim of the NATO military forces inLatvia is to protect lives, properties and rights of Russian speaking residents and non-citizens or the aim is to prevent the risks which they allegedly present. He asks if there are preconditions – political views, citizenship status or native language – for the protection of fundamental rights of these people in case of conflict. Mr Sokolovs explains that large part of Russian speaking residents is composed of Latvian non-citizens – workers and engineers who moved toLatvia after the WWII, and their descendants, who were disenfranchised in the 90-ies and nowadays are mentioned as security risk. He also complains that attempts by two main organizations advocating for the interests of non-citizens – the Congress of Non-citizens and the Union of Citizens and Non-citizens to build dialogue are refused by the government. Mr Sokolovs is also worried about the lack of official reaction to the petition for internment of non-citizens in case of conflict withRussia. 

• Latvia’s quota for redistribution of refugees could be 220 persons
• Latvia lost 700,000 people during the last 25 years and may need up to 100,000 labour migrants over the next 6-8 years 

Newspapers report that according to provisional information, Latvia’s quota for redistribution of 20,000 refugees every year within the EU could be 220 persons. Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya 

Vesti Segodnya reports about the European mobility conference held recently in Riga. According to demographer Peteris Zvidrins, Latvia lost 700,000 people during the last 25 years: the population declined from nearly 2.7 million to nearly 2 million, while the population of Riga declined from close to 1 million to less than 650,000 people. According to forecasts publicised by the European Commission, the population of Latvia will decline by 30% (to 1.4 million) during the next 45 years. Professor Mihails Hazans stated that during 2002-2012, 10% of the population emigrated. The head of the IOM in Latvia Ilmars Mezs highlighted that Latvia will face the next critical turn in demographic situation within the next 3-5 years, because the number of women of childbearing age will decline and thus the population will decline further. According to experts, migrants could fill up the population gap in Latvia. Ilmars Mezs believes that over the next 6-8 years Latvia would need up to 100,000 labour migrants. Mihails Hazans considers that Latvia could accept up to 5-7,000 people per year. 

• Newspapers continue to report about discussion in the Latvian public space about possible introduction of quotas for accommodation of refugees
• A group of MPs prepared a draft law calling to restrict the use of St. George ribbons at public events

Newspapers continue to report about discussion in the Latvian public space about possible introduction of quotas for accommodation of refugees. According to the State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Ilze Petersone-Godmane, Latviais not ready for any additional mandatory actions for accommodation of refugees. The MP Janis Dombrava (National Union) stated that Latviashould rather think of its own people than about immigrants. He also proposed to decrease the monthly benefit for refugees as, to his opinion, benefit in amount of EUR 256 is too big comparing to benefits paid to young mothers and average wage in Latvia. The Minister of Health Guntis Belevics, in his turn, stated that refugees from African countries might bring various diseases to Latvia, such as Ebola and tuberculosis. Demographer and migration researcher (also the head of the IOM in Latvia) Ilmars Mezs said that Latviashould express its solidarity and support refugee quotas but only if those would foresee accommodation of few dozens of refugees. Columnist of the weekly magazine IR Pauls Raudseps, in his turn, criticizes negative attitude of Latvians towards accommodation of refugees. According to P.Raudseps, the society should remember that during the past century Latvians were at similar situation twice - escaping from Latvia during the WWI (760,000 to Russia) and during the WWII (about 200,000 persons went on small boats to Sweden or on overloaded ships to Germany). He reminds that Latvians themselves needed help from strangers, organisations and governments to survive. Therefore, it is moral responsibility to keep those facts in mind speaking about Latvia’s readiness to accommodate refugees from other countries.  Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya

A group of MPs – Janis Dombrava, Gunars Rusins, Einars Cilinskis, Karlis Kreslins, Gaidis Berzins (all members of the National Union) and Veiko Spolitis (independent MP), prepared a draft law calling to restrict the use of St. George ribbons at public events, including entertaining events and celebrations. The MPs believe that the St. George ribbons glorify Russia’s imperialism and became a unified distinction of those people who lives under the influence of Russia’s propaganda and desire for territorial expansion of Russia. They also mention that the ribbons were used in the process of the occupation of Crimea and “terrorist and criminal groupings” in the Eastern Ukraine. Vesti Segodnya