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Latvia does not intend to implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of National Minorities regarding the use of the Russian language in the country, the Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. Riga will ignore the provisions related to ensuring the use of the Russian language in the educational sphere, Sputnik reports.
Almost 20 years ago, the Latvian Seimas ratified the international convention, guaranteeing the preservation of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of national minorities. This did not stop Riga from openly violating the provisions of the convention in relation to Russian-speaking residents.
Compliance with the points of the document is monitored by an advisory committee, which includes independent experts. Last year, the committee recognized the existence of unjustified restrictions on the rights of Russians in Latvia. Experts also noted that the use and study of languages of national minorities is limited in the country, and after the reform, the Latvian education system lost compliance with the provisions of the convention.
The Committee put forward recommendations, in particular in the field of transitioning education into the state language and returning to national minorities their educational rights.
The Latvian Foreign Ministry presented the opinions of the country's ministries and departments regarding the committee's conclusions. The response indicates that the country's authorities does not agree with the recommendation to review the transition of education into the state language. Riga explained the suppression of the Russian language by the fact that its strengthening supposedly entails a decrease in the desire of a ''strong and self-sufficient minority'' to study the state language and become part of the local society.
Russkiy Mir
