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.

• Interview with Social Integration Minister
• Visit of the official Russias delegation to Latvia concluded
• Legal experts about the revision of the minority education reform by the Constitutional Court
• Latvians and the Holocaust

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the Minister for the Special Assignments for Social Integration Ainars Latkovskis. He stresses that the Secretariat deals not only with ethnic but also regional integration as well as other issues. Anairs Latkovskis states that the claim regarding incompliance of the minority education reform with the Constitution of Latvia and international norms and practices is ungrounded. The Minister confirms that a working group which will develop amendments to the Citizenship Law is already established. The new amendments will ban a possibility that persons disloyal to Latvia will acquire Latvian citizenship. Regarding ratification of the Framework Convention, the Minister says that probably it will be ratified by the end of May, beginning of June and it will definitely include the following provision: only those non-Latvians who are Latvian citizens will be the subjects of the Convention. The Minister concludes that the Secretariat makes big effort to provide information about issues concerning ethnic integration to audiences in Latvia and abroad.

Newspapers report on the results of the visit of the Russia’s official delegation to Latvia. The delegation was headed by Sergey Yastrzhembsky, Advisor to the Russian President. The key goal of the visit was to discuss the signing of the bilateral border agreement.

Newspapers report on the results of the visit of the Russias official delegation to Latvia. The delegation was headed by Sergey Yastrzhembsky, Advisor to the Russian President. The key goal of the visit was to discuss the signing of the bilateral border agreement. Diena reports that after meetings both parties stressed that meetings were very fruitful and will be followed by signing of the border agreement and further discussion at various levels. The newspaper adds that the Russian official avoided talking about the situation of Russian-speakers in these discussions. Neatkariga reports that in the meeting with the Special Task Minister for Social Integration Ainars Latkovskis, the Russian official was interested in naturalisation procedures and ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, however, the Russian official admitted that all countries have the right to set their own citizenship requirements and that people who live in Latvia should be able to speak Latvian. Latvijas Avize, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Latvijas Avize asks a number of legal experts to comment on the revision of the compliance of the minority education reform with the Constitution of Latvia and international norms and practices by the Consitutional Court. The Head of the Saeima Legal Committee Mareks Seglins believes that this is a pure political issue, therefore should not be reviewed by the Constitutional Court. Professor Juris Bojars also agrees that it is a political issue, however, the Constitutional Court was not entitled to reject the claim. While professor Ineta Ziemele argues that the case includes both political and legal conditions. According to Ineta Ziemele the minority education reform does not contradict international human rights standards, however, the issue is whether the reform is implemented in such a way that non-Latvian students are able to acquire the state language, while preserving their mother tongue.

Diena prints an essay by historian Andrievs Ezergailis about the Holocaust in Latvia. Andrievs Ezergailis provides detailed arguments against widely spread allegations that in the World War II Jews in the Baltic Countries were killed by local residents and not by Nazi and that these killings were spontaneous and not organised.