• MPs cannot come to a common agreement about the list of countries which should be allowed to have dual citizenship with Latvia
• Minister of Welfare Ilze Vinkele: Latvia will not avoid influx of immigrants
• Commemorative events held in Riga on the day of the commemoration of victims of the Holocaust

Chas reports that members of the Saeima’s sub-committee on elaboration of the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law cannot come to a common agreement about the list of countries which should be allowed to have dual citizenship with Latvia. According to the newspaper, the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF/LNIM and the Reforms Party consider that the dual citizenship should be allowed with countries taking into consideration their geopolitical proximity. The Concord Centre, in its turn, considers that the dual citizenship should be allowed with all the countries. In the meantime, the position of the Unity is not clear at all. It is expected, that the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law could be reviewed in the Saeima in August.

According to the Minister of Welfare Ilze Vinkele, Latvia should elaborate its immigration policy due to the future shortage of labour force in the country. The Minister believes that Latvia will not avoid influx of immigrants, therefore, it is important to evaluate all the aspects now and to decide how many people can be invited to Latvia, from which regions, on what conditions and when. Otherwise, the time will come but the country will not be ready, states Mrs Vinkele. Vesti Segodnya

Yesterday, in the framework of the commemoration day of the victims of Holocaust in Latvia, Latvian high officials and foreign diplomats, together with representatives of Jewish community, persons who survived the Holocaust and others, took part in the commemorative events at the memorial in Riga.  The President of Latvia Andris Berzins called all Latvian residents to remember and comprehend the Holocaust and responsibility for it. Newspapers also report about a picket conducted by radicals near the site of the commemorative event. Organiser of the picket Igors Siskins is known for radical and anti-Semitic actions and statements. Vesti Segodnya, Chas

• Free-of-charge Latvian language courses in Daugavpils are successfully concluded
• Government’s coalition speeds-up draft amendments to the Citizenship Law
• Vladimirs Lindermans: we will receive about 30% of votes in the municipal elections
• Almost half or 49% of Latvian residents do not support restitution of Jewish properties

Chas reports on the conclusion of free-of-charge Latvian language courses funded by the Daugavpils City Council. 260 Daugavpils’ residents received certificates by the end of the courses. According to the organisers of the courses almost all the students learned language with zeal and received grades good and excellent. The participants of the courses also expressed the desire to continue the studies in the same way.

The government’s coalition agreed to speed up the revision of the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law.  Most likely, the Saeima will review the amendments in the second reading in August. Chas

One of the leaders of a movement “For Native Language” Vladimirs Lindermans believes his party will receive about 30% of votes of Latvian citizens in the municipal elections next year. This is the amount of those who voted for granting Russian language status of a state language in Latvia at the referendum in February 2012. According to the experts interviewed by Chas, Lindermans’s expectations are exaggerated and his party should expect 5% of votes at maximum.  Chas, Vesti Segodnya

According to a public opinion survey conducted by agency “TNS” and TV channel LNT, Almost half or 49% of Latvian residents do not support restitution of Jewish properties in Latvia. 39% of respondents, in their turn, support the return of Jewish properties lost because of the Holocaust to the Jewish community. Latvijas Avize

• Procession “Steps of Alive” commemorating victims of the Holocaust hold in Riga
• Radicals hold a procession on 1 July in the centre of Riga

About 100 people, including representatives of foreign embassies, took part in traditional procession “Steps of Alive” commemorating victims of the Holocaust on 1 July in Riga. Officially, 4 of July is the day of commemoration of victims of genocide of Jewish people in Latvia. More than 70,000 Jewish residents of Latvia and about 20,000 Jews deported from the Western Europe were killed during the Holocaust in Latvia. Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Radicals hold a procession in Riga on 1 July – the day of entrance of Nazi troops to Riga in 1941. About 30 people, some dressed in shirts with swastika, walked from the museum of occupation to the Monument of Liberty in the centre of Riga. Chas, Vesti Segodnya

• President of Latvia Andris Berzins did not promulgate the draft amendments on changing referendum initiation procedure
• Newspapers report about the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to Latvia

The President of Latvia Andris Berzins did not proclaim the draft amendments to the Law on National Referenda and Legislative Initiatives stipulating that initiators of a referendum should gather about 150,000 signatures of the voters. The President returned the draft amendments to the Saeima for revision. The President generally positively evaluated the idea to change the existing system of two-stage procedure for the initiation of the referendum, however he expressed concern that conditions of the collection of signatures which require large financial investments may increase the role of money in politics and deprive the civil society of opportunity to organise oneself and be active. At present, the initiators of referendum are required to collect 10,000 signatures in order to proceed with the second stage – state funded collection of signatures. Chas, Diena

Newspapers report about the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to Latvia. Regarding the issue of the restitution of Jewish properties, Mrs Clinton stated that the United States supports the restitution and the resolution of this issue is of joint interest. The Secretary of State also called upon Latvian authorities to promote the integration of Russian speaking residents in Latvia to foster their sense of belonging to the Latvian nation.  Chas, Diena

• Jewish cemetery desecrated again in Riga
• Radicals will hold a procession in the centre of Riga on 1 July
• Activists of Russian NGOs forwarded to the U.S. Embassy in Riga symbolic passports of “non-citizens”

Vesti Segodnya reports about desecration of the New Jewish cemetery in Riga. On 27 June, unknown vandals damaged stained-glass window of a chapel probably by shooting at it with a gun. As reported, last time the Jewish cemetery was desecrated in December 2010 when many graves were painted with white swastika.

This year, national radicals again are planning to hold a procession in the centre of Riga on 1 July – the day of entrance of Nazi troops to Riga in 1941. Organiser of the procession radical Igors Siskins asserts that the procession will be held in commemoration of Stalin’s repressions in 1940-1941. Vesti Segodnya

On the threshold of U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s visit to Latvia, activists of Russian NGOs forwarded to the U.S. Embassy in Riga symbolic passports of “non-citizens” of the United States of America. In the line “Nationality”, the letters “United States of America” have been stricken-out and replaced with “Alien!” The symbolic passports were issued to the U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife Michele Obama, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and the U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Judith Garber. By this action, the activists ask the U.S. State Secretary to draw attention to the problem of mass scale non-citizenship in Latvia. Vesti Segodnya