• Russia’s Ambassador to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov: Latvian authorities do not understand needs of ethnic minorities

Vesti Segodnya features an interview with the Russia’s Ambassador to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov. According to Mr Veshnyakov, relations between Latvia and Russia became more complicated in 2012 due to various factors and events such as accusations about Russia’s interference in Latvian internal affairs and Russophobic mood due to referendum on the status of Russian language in Latvia. The Ambassador does not see improvement of situation of Russian speaking residents of Latvia. The Ambassador believes Latvian authorities do not understand or do not want to understand needs of ethnic minorities and to ensure their rights.

• President Andris Berzins advises Latvian-speaking youth to learn Russian language

 

Vesti Segodnya writes about the interview with the President of the Republic of Latvia Andris Berzins published by the popular Sankt Petersburg site fontanka.ru. The President Berzins stated that he regularly advises Latvian youth to learn Russian language. According to the President Berzins, learning Russian at school is insufficient to achieve fluency, while very few Russian speakers are still live in the countryside and in the small towns. The President stated that the Russian-speaking youth is fluent in both languages, while the Latvian-speaking youth have rather poor knowledge of Russian. President Berzins believes Russian language is necessary for work within Latvia, as well as for Latvia’s international contacts. MP Vineta Porina (radical nationalist union “All for Latvia - For Fatherland and Freedom / Latvian National Independence Movement” (AFL-FFF/LNIM)), has commented the interview, stating that the President is sending a wrong signal to the population of the country. 

• Society Consolidation Committee listened to immigrants who are considered as successful integration examples

The Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee invited to its session three immigrants living in Latvia who are considered as the successful examples of integration in Latvian society. One of the invited guests, an American George Steele resides in Latvia for 18 years and got married to a Latvian. Mr Steele is proficient in Latvian language and learned it on his own initiative. According to Mr Steele he has no problems to live in Latvia, however, he made also some critical remarks towards the MPs criticizing the government for lack of funding for Latvian language courses for foreigners and for Latvianisation of foreign names in official identification documents. The other immigrant – Matias Kroll from Germany stressed that he learned Latvian language during two months. Mr Krolls consciously refused to learn and speak Russian in Latvia. Vesti Segodnya

• Amendments to the Citizenship Law are nearly complete

According to Vesti Segodnya, elaboration of a new draft amendments to the Citizenship Law is coming to an end. The most important novelty concerns dual citizenship and granting Latvian citizenship to children of non-citizens through easier procedure. According to the member of the Saeima’s subcommittee on elaboration of the Citizenship Law, MP Inese Libina-Egnere (Reforms Party), the draft is close to its final edition and it might come into force in spring 2013.

• Activists announced aims of the Congress of Non-citizens

Vesti Segodnya reports that initiators of the Congress of Non-citizens announced its aims. The Congress plans to protect legal, political and economic interests of non-citizens and to establish a parliament of non-citizens. At maximum, the Congress wants to achieve full elimination of a large-scale non-citizenship in Latvia. The initiators of the Congress also call Latvian residents who agree that non-citizenship is a problem to register on the home page of the Congress. Up to now, there are about 1,300 persons who already registered.