• Associate professor of the Baltic International Academy Konstantins Matvejevs: non-citizens are expecting official apologies from the state

According to the associate professor of the Baltic International Academy Konstantins Matvejevs, non-citizens who are not planning to naturalise are expecting official apologies from the state (such as the Saeima’s resolution) for injustice of the decision that deprived them political rights. Mr. Matvejevs also states that a small group of non-citizens is planning to demand from the state a material compensation for damages incurred by persons who had to live as non-citizens

According to the associate professor of the Baltic International Academy Konstantins Matvejevs, non-citizens who are not planning to naturalise are expecting official apologies from the state (such as the Saeimas resolution) for injustice of the decision that deprived them political rights. Mr. Matvejevs also states that a small group of non-citizens is planning to demand from the state a material compensation for damages incurred by persons who had to live as non-citizens. Latvijas Avize

• Citizenship law will not be opened for amendments
• Interview with the Swedish Ambassador to Latvia Mats Staffansson

Latvijas Avize reports that Members of Saeima are pleased with the fact that Citizenship law will not be opened for amendments. Due to Latvian state budget cuts Naturalization Board will be merged to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, therefore, technical amendments to the law were expected. In the meantime, radical organizations did not hide their intentions to submit amendments to the law and according to MP Karlis Leiskalns (Peoples party) opening Citizenship law for amendments would result either in submission of unpleasant amendments or in prolonged process of adoption of 2010 Latvian state budget.

Swedish Ambassador to Latvia Mats Staffansson in the interview with

Swedish Ambassador to Latvia Mats Staffansson in the interview with Vesty Segodnya states that there is a significant change since his last assignment to Latvia in 1994. Both communities are closer connected than before. He points out that among other 27 EU countries Latvia is in a privileged status because large group of Latvian society can communicate in Russian, which is a very good sign especially in business field. Ambassador also believes that in 20 years the problem of non-citizens will be resolved, there will be loyal people living in Latvia and nobody will be interested in what language someone speaks at home.

• Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs: number of Russian citizens who live in Latvia is growing
• NRA prints interview with experts about growing emigration from Latvia

According to a representative of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, number of Russian citizens who live in Latvia is growing. Since January 2007, number of Russian citizens with residency permits in Latvia grew by 3,000 persons and now there are 30,718 Russian citizens officially living in Latvia.

According to a representative of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, number of Russian citizens who live in Latvia is growing. Since January 2007, number of Russian citizens with residency permits in Latvia grew by 3,000 persons and now there are 30,718 Russian citizens officially living in Latvia. Telegraf

NRA prints interview with migration researcher Mihails Hazans, economist Raita Karnite and film director Ivars Zviedrs (author of a documentary about Latvian guest workers in Ireland) about growing emigration from Latvia. Mrs. Karnite believes that the main reason for emigration is hard economical situation and low social guarantees to people in Latvia. Mr. Hazans believes that if Latvia does not improve the quality of its policies and social guarantees, the only way to compensate Latvias losses due to emigration is to attract foreign labour force.

• Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Janis Jurkans: in reality Latvian politicians do nothing for integration of society

Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Janis Jurkans in an interview to

Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Janis Jurkans in an interview to Telegraf states that in reality Latvian politicians do nothing for integration of society because for them it is better to live in two-community state using method divide and rule. Mr. Jurkans also believes that the Concord Centre will not form the governing coalition despite that it most probably will win the Saeimas elections because ethnic Latvian parties will not be ready to share the power.

• Merger of the Naturalisation Board and the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs will be realised without amending the Citizenship Law
• National radicals want to receive LVL 4,000,000 and public apologies from the Security Police and the General Prosecutors Office
• State Language Centre actively inspects state language proficiency of municipal deputies

Merger of the Naturalisation Board (NB) and the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) will be realised without amending the Citizenship Law. According to the Ministry of Interior, there will be no need to amend the Citizenship Law if the NB becomes a structural unit of the OCMA with the same title. As reported, opening the Citizenship Law to amendments could provoke aggressive ethnic rhetoric and submissions of numerous draft amendments by nationalistic and pro-Russian parties.Vesti Segodnya, Diena

National radical Aivars Garda and editors of his newspaper DDD Ilze Liepa and Liga Muzikante claim for compensation in amount of LVL 4,000,000 (EUR 5,691,487) and public apologies from the Security Police and the General Prosecutors Office for initiation of two criminal cases against them. As reported, the national radicals were charged for statements inciting to ethnic hatred in several articles published in DDD in 2004 and 2005 but later acquitted. According to Aivars Garda, the money will be spent on liberation of ethnic Latvian nation from Soviet colonists. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya reports that the State Language Centre (SLC) actively inspects state language proficiency of municipal deputies. The inspectors already punished several deputies of the Rezekne and Daugavplis City Councils and planning to check language proficiency of deputies in Jekabplis, Liepaja and Riga. According to the chief of the SLC Language Control Department Antons Kursitis, the inspectors choose deputies for inspection following complaints received from residents.