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.

• Advisor to  the Minister of Foreign Affairs Viktors Makarovs: naturalisationis a compromise for solving the problem of non-citizenship
• Eizenija Aldermane: level of state language proficiency is not the main criteria showing how well the person is integrated
• State Chancellery prepared informative material for Latvian residents about asylum seekers and refugees

Viktors Makarovs, advisor to  the Minister of Foreign Affairs in an interview with Vesti Segodnya said that he would like to seeLatvia as a state where the phenomenon  of non-citizenship does not exist anymore. As there are different opinions in the society how to solve this problem from  those who want to grant Latvian citizenship automatically to all by ending to  those totally against granting citizenship to non-citizens, naturalisation is a compromise, believes V. Makarovs.

Eizenija Aldermane, head of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee of the Riga City Council criticizes the approach  that the level of state language proficiency usually is the main criteria for the society defining how well the person is integrated. She says that there are at least several criteria of integration and the language being only of them. Ms Aldermane gives cites other countries with  integration centres where immigrants can learn history of the country, its traditions, basic values,etc. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya reports that the State Chancellery has prepared an informative material for Latvian residents about asylum seekers and refugees. The material explains  who the asylum seekers and refugees are, their  rights and responsibilities. It also explains the procedure of granting asylum  and provides statistics about asylum seekers and those granted international protection inLatvia. Materials in Latvian are available at: http://www.mk.gov.lv/lv/content/infografikas-par-patveruma-mekletajiem