• Vesti Segodnya reports about Ukrainian citizens escaping from the Eastern Ukraine to Latvia
• Minister of Education Marite Seile supports gradual increase of Latvian language proportion in minority schools

According to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA), there were 69 Ukrainians out of 335 asylum seekers in Latvia in 2014. According to a representative of the OCMA, in order to receive the status of refugee or alternative status in Latvia it is necessary to prove that an individual is persecuted because of his/her race, religion, ethnicity or social belonging, or political views and that there are threats to individual’s life, he/she is subjected to death penalty or torture. For Donbas residents it is difficult to receive such status in Latvia because within Ukraine there is sufficient safe space where they can find shelter from the military actions. Therefore, according to the OCMA, the most likely solution for those Ukrainian citizens who want to stay in Latvia during the military conflict is to apply for temporary residence permit which gives also the right to study and work, or to apply for long-term visa. During the first six months of 2014, 380 Ukrainians received residence permits in Latvia, while the number of those who received long-term visas is much higher but it is not separately recorded. Vesti Segodnya

In an interview with Latvijas Avize the Minister of Education Marite Seile says that she supports increase of Latvian language proportion in minority schools but she stresses that such transition should be gradual. The Minister also doubts that it could be accomplished by 2018 as it was planned by the previous government. According to the Minister, the ministry is currently working on a programme for Latvian language learning in pre-school education establishments. The programme possibly will promote involvement of not only little children but also their parents in the learning process.

• Cabinet of Ministers plans to adopt a decision on elaboration of a new law on management of the EU “Solidarity and Management of Migration Flow” programme 2014-2020

Tomorrow, the Cabinet of Ministers plans to adopt a decision on elaboration of a new law on management of the EU “Solidarity and Management of Migration Flow” programme 2014-2020. According to it, two foundations will be established for management of the funds – the Internal Security Foundation and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Foundation. The responsible institution for management of the funds will be Ministry of Interior, but the Ministry of Culture will be responsible for integration issues. Vesti Segodnya

• Saeima voted to start consideration of a proposal to grant Orthodox Christmas a status of official holiday in Latvia
• MP Andrejs Judins criticizes ethnic approach in the politics and ethnic voting

Yesterday, the Saeima voted to start consideration of a proposal to grant Orthodox Christmas (7 January) a status of official holiday in Latvia. Such proposal has been submitted to the Saeima every year by oppositional party the Concord but every time it was refused. The Concord believes that granting Orthodox Christmas the status of official holiday would have positive impact on integration and attitude of Orthodox Christians to the state authorities. The Concord’s proposal got support of 50 MPs. Vesti Segodnya, Diena, Latvijas Avize

Vesti Segodnya interviews MP Andrejs Judins - ethnic Russian member of the political party Unity. Mr Judins says that he is treated in the party as a deputy and a lawyer and not like ethnic Russian or Latvian. He criticizes ethnic approach in the politics and ethnic voting. He also says that it is wrong that politicians very often are expected to solve ethnic issues first of all.

• MPs discussed situation of immigrants living in Latvia
• Minister of Culture taken new advisor on integration and media policy issues

Vesti Segodnya reports about a session of the Saeima’s Citizenship, Migration and Society Consolidation Committee. The invited representative of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs informed the MPs that there are 77,896 foreigners residing in Latvia. 27,966 foreigners have temporary residents permits and 49,930 – permanent permits. 75% of foreign citizens with permanent residence permits are former Latvian non-citizens who accepted Russia’s citizenship. The main groups of immigrants who arrive to Latvia are persons who come with an aim of family reunion, labour migrants, foreign investors and merchants, and students.

Latvijas Avize reports about a new freelance advisor of the Minister of Culture on integration and media policy issues Martins Kaprans. Mr Kaprans has already worked as advisor on integration issues with the former Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte in 2011 and was one of the authors of the National Identity, Civil Society and Integration Policy Guidelines for 2012-2018. Martins Kaprans believes that the most important tasks in the integration field to do is granting financial support to the NGOs; strengthening Latvian language positions especially in terms of its usage; and promoting activities and projects aimed at strengthening of common comprehension about the key points in Latvian history. Mr Kaprans also believes that strengthening Russian language programmes broadcasted by Latvia’s public TV channels is one of the tools to counter Russia’s propaganda.

• Solvita Aboltina: involvement of ethnic minorities in politics and state governance should be based on their support to Latvian values

In an interview with Latvijas Avize, head of the political party Unity, MP Solvita Aboltina stated that no cooperation with the party Concord is possible as long as it has cooperation agreement with Russia’s ruling party United Russia, as long as it considers that it was right to advice people to support referendum on granting Russian language status of a second state language in Latvia, and as long as the Concord is against Latvia’s support to Ukraine. Commenting a recent statement made by the Unity’s member, MP Hosams Abu Meri that sooner or later the Concord should be included in the ruling coalition, Mrs Aboltina said that Mr Abu Meri spoke about involvement of ethnic non-Latvians. She agreed that within the long-term and national security perspective, ethnic non-Latvians should be involved in politics and state governance. However, such involvement should be based on their support to the values on which Latvian state was established in 1918 and included in the Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia in 2014. According to Mrs Aboltina, it is not permissible just to select mathematically percentage of ethnic minorities for whom such values may be strange.