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.

Integration and Minority Information Service
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga returns to Saeima the law On the Status of Former Citizens of the USSR who are Not Citizens of Latvia or Any Other State
• President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga discusses recent protest actions against the education reform with the chairpersons of the state security institutions
• Call of Saeima Citizenship Law Implementation Committee to resolve the problem of Latvian and Russian dual citizens entering Latvia
• For Human Rights in the United Latvia requests European Parliament to change the language policy in the enlarged EU
• Russia agrees to apply the treaty on collaboration between Russia and the European Union to the new member states
• Conference Ethnic structure, inequality and the Governance of the Public Sector
• Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre discusses the society integration issues with the representatives of the largest religious confessions
• Commentary by Aleksandrs Malnacs about the increasing amount of naturalization applications

President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga has returned to Saeima the law “On the Status of Former Citizens of the USSR who are Not Citizens of Latvia or Any Other State” for review. The president regards amendments to the law allowing for depriving persons who have obtained a residence permit in another country of the non-citizen status of Latvia as ungrounded.

President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga has returned to Saeima the law On the Status of Former Citizens of the USSR who are Not Citizens of Latvia or Any Other State for review. The president regards amendments to the law allowing for depriving persons who have obtained a residence permit in another country of the non-citizen status of Latvia as ungrounded. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Telegraf, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Yesterday the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga met the chairpersons of the state security institutions. According to the chairman of the State Security Police Janis Reinis, during this meeting issue of protest actions against the education reform, organized by the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-language schools was also discussed.  

Yesterday the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga met the chairpersons of the state security institutions. According to the chairman of the State Security Police Janis Reinis, during this meeting issue of protest actions against the education reform, organized by the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-language schools was also discussed. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Telegraf, Vesti Segodnya

Saeima Citizenship Law Implementation Committee has asked Foreign Affairs Ministry to draw up proposals on resolving the problem concerning persons with dual Latvian and Russian citizenship. According to the head of this committee Anta Rugate, Russia regards those persons as citizens of Russia, and requires them to have a Latvian visa before traveling to Latvia, but Latvian laws do not foresee possibility of issuing an entry visa delivery to the citizens of Latvia.

Saeima Citizenship Law Implementation Committee has asked Foreign Affairs Ministry to draw up proposals on resolving the problem concerning persons with dual Latvian and Russian citizenship. According to the head of this committee Anta Rugate, Russia regards those persons as citizens of Russia, and requires them to have a Latvian visa before traveling to Latvia, but Latvian laws do not foresee possibility of issuing an entry visa delivery to the citizens of Latvia. Latvijas Avize, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya features an appeal of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia (FHRUL) to members of the European Parliament for developing a public discussion about the cardinal shift in the language policy of the enlarged EU. According to the FHRUL, it is illogical that status of the EU official language is not granted to several languages, each used by at least five million speakers, i.e., Russian, Turkish, Arabian and Catalonian.

Russia Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Chizhov during the negotiations with the European Commission has agreed to apply the treaty on collaboration between Russia and the European Union also to the new member states of the EU. Previously Russia stated that the treaty could not been applied to Latvia and Estonia as these states allegedly do not observe Russian-speakers’ rights.

Russia Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Chizhov during the negotiations with the European Commission has agreed to apply the treaty on collaboration between Russia and the European Union also to the new member states of the EU. Previously Russia stated that the treaty could not been applied to Latvia and Estonia as these states allegedly do not observe Russian-speakers rights. Diena, Neatkariga Rita Avize

Today the three-day conference “Ethnic structure, inequality and the Governance of the Public Sector”, organized by the UN Research Institute for Social Development  , the UN Development Program and the Latvian Secretariat of the Special Task Minister for Society Integration begins in Riga.

Today the three-day conference Ethnic structure, inequality and the Governance of the Public Sector, organized by the UN Research Institute for Social Development,the UNDevelopmentProgram and the Latvian Secretariat of the Special Task Minister for Society Integration begins in Riga. Latvijas Vestnesis

Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre has met with the representatives of the largest religious confessions in order to discuss the integration issues. Archbishop of the Lutheran Church Janis Vanags believes that Russia holds  the key to the society integration in Latvia. According to him, the integration process in Latvia will be hindered until Russia agrees to bear responsibility for the crimes of the communist regime.

Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre has met with the representatives of the largest religious confessions in order to discuss the integration issues. Archbishop of the Lutheran Church Janis Vanags believes that Russia holds the key to the society integration in Latvia. According to him, the integration process in Latvia will be hindered until Russia agrees to bear responsibility for the crimes of the communist regime. Latvijas Avize, Telegraf, Vesti Segodnya

Chas features a commentary by Aleksandrs Malnacs about the increasing amount of naturalization applications during the last months. He holds an opinion that the main reason behind it is that the non-citizens finally realized that by withdrawing from the active civil participation they actually help the far right political forces to implement nationalistic and russophobic policy, as well as understood that no one else will fight for their and their childrens rights.