HEADLINES
Latvia's Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks: "Mutual cooperation between government, media and community can help diminish prejudice" On 10 February 2006, the Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks took part in a discussion on racism as it is experienced in the United States and Latvia. He noted that racial prejudice can be diminished by joint efforts of the government, the media, non-governmental organisations, and the community. "This issue has no national borders. Latvia is no more protected from expressions of racism, which is particularly noticeable on the streets of Riga during the dark hours of the day and during the dark months," said Mr Pabriks. The Foreign Minister emphasised that laws are comparatively easy to change, whereas to change the attitudes of people towards laws and towards each other is far more complicated. This issue must be discussed, he said, as on occasions such as this, "silence is also a crime." The discussion had been arranged by the US Embassy in Latvia and the organisation AfroLat as part of a month dedicated to Afro-American history. Present at the discussion were the US Ambassador Catherine Todd Bailey, Professor of Political Science at Howard University (USA) Michael Frazier, a representative of the organization AfroLat, George Steele, Latvian experts on human rights issues, and representatives of the media and youth organisations. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Current News (10.02.2006)
Latvia's Foreign Minister Pabriks: "Racism is a disease; however, there is a vaccine for it" On 7 February 2006, Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks, in opening an exhibition of posters in the Latvian National Library on the theme of the March on Washington of 1963 and on Afro-American writers, said that while racism is a disease it can be vaccinated against by learning from the experience of other countries. Foreign Minister Pabriks noted that Latvia has never been a mono-ethnic country and that Latvians have always lived side by side with other cultures. Although Germans, Lithuanians and Russians, for example, are visually similar to Latvians, we have to learn to live side by side also with those who are visually dissimilar. Mr Pabriks emphasized that tolerance should be taught from childhood - in the family and at school. Politicians should also be able to disassociate themselves from populist decisions and think more about their country's long-term development. "We wish to be treated with respect, therefore, let us respect those who are different from us. I believe in the humanity and understanding of Latvia's residents," said the Minister. The US Ambassador to Latvia Catherine Todd Bailey, in her opening address to the exhibition, emphasized that tolerance is of major significance in modern society. The opening of the exhibition served as an introduction to a month dedicated to Afro-American history, organised in Latvia by the US Embassy and in conjunction with the organisation AfroLat. The posters may be seen in the display-windows of the main building of the library facing Elizabetes street until 3 March. To familiarise Latvian residents with Afro-American culture, other events are also scheduled. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Current News (07.02.2006)
Prime Minister of Latvia instructs working group to develop national programme for the integration of Roma community The Prime Minister of Latvia, Aigars Kalvitis, has assigned a special working group to develop the National Programme Roma in Latvia for the period 2007-2009. The working group consists of Irina Vinnika, Deputy Head in Ethno-political Issues of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration, Normunds Rudevics, Chairman of the Latvian Roma National Culture Association, Zaiga Sneibe, Head of the Integration Division of the Ministry of Education and Science, and other ethno-politics and integration specialists from different ministries and regions of Latvia. According to the latest data, about 8 thousand representatives of the Roma nationality live in Latvia; however, according to unofficial data, the number of Roma in Latvia exceeds 15 thousand. The largest Roma communities live in the Kurzeme region – in Ventspils, Talsi and Sabile. BNS (03.02.2006)
Special project for Roma children and their parents undertaken by the Education Initiative Centre The Education Initiative Centre has undertaken a special project Roma in Local Society and in the School, which is being implemented in 12 Latvian cities and towns. The activities of the project include the encouraging of Roma to educate their children and to start this process by preparing their children for school. Premises have been furnished for kindergarten and primary school groups to be attended by the Roma children. Books in Romany and in Latvian languages have been published and creative workshops and seminars are being organised under the project. Realising how important education is for their children, women who come to the creative workshops have become practically involved in the project. The project provides financing for teacher's assistants of Roma nationality who work in the pre-school educational establishments, and also for the formation of parents' support centres. The most active parents of the Roma children and the assistants of Roma nationality are the "core" of the project. They talk to other parents whose children still stay at home about how important it is to take their children to the kindergarten. In order to demonstrate what the life of the Roma and other children in the kindergarten is like in reality, they take these parents to the support groups. In the kindergartens the children are acquainted with both cultures. Latvian and Roma children learn together. The project focuses on pre-schoolers in order to prepare these children for school. This learning process helps the children to acclimatize better and study more effectively in school. Last year 64 Roma children were assisted in commencing their studies in Latvian schools or kindergartens under the project. The project Roma in Local Society and in the School is financed by the EU Phare Grant Programme and from the government's budget. The Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration is developing the National Programme Roma in Latvia, which aims to prevent discrimination against the Roma community in the labour market, to prevent expressions of social rejection and to develop education possibilities. Diena (06.02.2006)
Naturalisation Board celebrates its 11th anniversary On 1 February 2006, the Naturalisation Board of Latvia (NB) celebrated its 11th anniversary. Since the commencement of the naturalisation process NB regional departments have received 112,333 applications for naturalisation. With a Cabinet of Ministers' decree, 105,648 of these persons have been granted citizenship through naturalisation, including 12,367 under-age children who were naturalised together with their parents. In order to fulfil its objectives more successfully, the NB cooperates with international organisations such as, for example, the Association of Language Testers in Europe, the United Nations, several institutions of the Council of Europe, and with the foreign embassies in Latvia. In 2001 the NB established a toll-free telephone line in order to provide consultation to residents about naturalisation issues. This option was utilised by more than 40 thousand people. The NB has helped candidates for citizenship to prepare for naturalisation examinations by preparing study materials on the history of Latvia, on matters to do with the Constitution and on the Latvian language. The NB also cooperates with youth and with local municipalities by organising informative events about citizenship issues. BNS (01.02.2006) Monthly Newsletters The News of the Naturalization Board
Naturalisation Board organises cycle of informative events for national minorities On 16 February 2006, the Naturalisation Board of Latvia (NB) organised an information day about citizenship issues for the Lithuanian Culture Society of Latvia. This meeting was the first in a planned cycle of informative events, during which representatives of national minorities will be able to receive information about the opportunities for acquisition of citizenship and naturalization examinations procedures. Several representatives of the Lithuanian Culture Society, who had previously acquired Latvian citizenship shared their experience of the naturalisation process. Those present were informed about the processes, about documents necessary for naturalisation, as well as about the content and procedure of the naturalisation examinations. The participants were also invited to ask questions of the NB officials about issues they were interested in. Participants were given the opportunity to fill in actual naturalisation examination tests and thus could better verify their readiness for the actual naturalisation examinations and so acquaint themselves with the overall procedure. Each interested person was offered testing opportunities to determine their level of knowledge of the Latvian language, basic rules and regulations of the Constitution and of the history of Latvia. Everyone who completed the practice tests then had the opportunity to have his or her mistakes analysed by an NB official and to receive advice on how to improve their language skills. The next Information Day to be organised by the NB will be in cooperation with the Polish culture societies and future cooperation is also planned with the Culture societies of Ukrainian and Belarusian national minorities. Naturalisation Board of the Republic of Latvia (16.02.2006) Georgians discuss their role in the social life of Latvia On 24 February 2006, the Latvian Georgian Association Samshoblo organised a discussion on its role in the social life of Latvia. In the discussion Georgians living in Latvia had an opportunity to meet with the Consul of Georgia in Latvia, Georgy Kerdikoshvili, who delivered a speech on the role of the Georgian diaspora in the development of Georgia and informed his audience about current events in connection with consular issues. Representatives of several public authorities and non-governmental organisations participated in this event and discussed the previous cooperation between Latvia and Georgia while emphasizing the importance of NGOs in this process. Nino Iakobidze, the Chairperson of the Samshoblo association, gave a presentation on the accomplishments of the Association, and Vardi Tvaladze, a PhD student of the Philology Department of Tbilisi State University and a scholarship holder of the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science, spoke about the cooperation between the universities of Latvia and Georgia. Speeches were also given by the representatives of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration. The Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation, which unites 23 Latvian NGOs, delivered a presentation on the Latvian-Georgian NGO Forum which took place in September 2005, during the visit of the President of Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, to Georgia. BNS (21.02.2006) Latvian Television proceeds with broadcast of cultural programme Ethnos Commencing 26 February 2006, the Latvian Television has resumed the broadcast of the cultural programme Ethnos which provides information about the various national minorities living in Latvia and pays particular attention to the importance of these cultures within Latvian society. Viewers have an opportunity to become better informed about representatives of the different ethnic minorities living in Latvia such as the Yakuts, Tatars, Georgians, Moldovans, Jews, Belarusians and Gipsies and to look into their cultural processes and traditions. The audience rating of the previous four telecasts proves that the programme Ethnos is very well received and its continuation is justified. It is planned to create a total of 12 programmes in the series with financial support of the European Union and the government of Latvia. The telecasts during February and March will acquaint viewers with a Yakut who paints interesting figures in the air and water, a Nepali from Katmandu who lives together with a former exile Latvian Inara Cedrina, a Belarusian musician called Natalia Dirvuk, a researcher of traditional Russian culture in Latvia Sergey Alonkin, and others. LETA (30.01.2006) Art students invited to participate in poster competition against discrimination BNS (13.02.2006)
National minority children's and youth festival Zelta kamolins organised in Smiltene On 25 and 26 February 2006, the town of Smiltene was the chosen venue for the National minority children's and youth festival Zelta kamolins (The Golden Yarn Ball). During these two days more than a hundred participants from Riga and Daugavpils performed their national dances and songs in the main concert in Smiltene and in touring concerts to the Valka district's schools, and children's and old people's homes. These performing groups included the choir Zvonnica, which gave a folklore performance, the dancing group Zadorinka, the Jewish ensemble Maagal, the ensemble of the Daugavpils Centre of Polish Culture Kukulecka and the knights of the historical reconstruction centre Excalibur. The festival Zelta kamolins has been organised now for eleven years. During this time it has become the vehicle for a successful dialogue between youths of different ethnic groups. In the beginning the festival crew organised concerts mainly in the regions with the biggest proportion of national minority residents but now they have purposefully chosen the most Latvian of towns and cities. The most significant accomplishment of the festival has been the change of attitude during these eleven years. At first only foreigners showed interest in the festival, but now part of the financing of the festival is provided by the Cultural Capital Fund, the Society Integration Foundation and local municipalities. In addition, the amateur groups from these national minorities are already included in the programme of the Latvian National School-children's Song Festival, and the necessity to popularise the culture of these national minorities is outlined in the Latvian National Programme. Almost nine thousand youths of different nationalities living in Latvia, as well as guests from Russia have participated in the festival during the past eleven years. Latvijas Avīze (27.02.2006)
For more information:
Newsletter "Societal Integration in Latvia: Towards Mutual Understanding and Cooperation" is a compilation of press releases and news reports drawn from the mass media and official sources. Not all of the views published reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
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