Parliamentary Assembly

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

I shall start with the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Latvia plans to ratify it in due course but we have not currently set a date. I do not believe that the status of minorities in Latvia is in any way affected by the situation – no more than it is in France, the Netherlands or a number of other countries that have neither signed nor ratified the treaty.

We have put in place a number of legal frameworks and our joining several international conventions has ensured that minority rights in Latvia are protected by a variety of mechanisms, much as they are in other countries that have not signed the treaty.

Ethnic relations or human relations are certainly complex and have been framed by history. In 1939, before the second world war, 80% of Latvia’s inhabitants were ethnic Latvians. During the years of Soviet occupation, the number of Latvians decreased dramatically, through losses in the war and forced mass deportations to Siberia and through the loss of exiles who fled the Soviet occupation regime. During that time Latvia underwent enforced industrialisation and the influx of very large numbers of industrial workers from the Soviet Union. Many of them were ethnic Russians, but as many as a hundred ethnic groups were represented.

Latvia had a Russian minority before the war. Those people had lived there for generations and they are the people who are most closely integrated into Latvian society. Among those who came to Latvia during the Soviet occupation we find a variety of attitudes. I have talked to a great many people who were born in Latvia and who feel that it is their native country; they feel at home. I have met a number of people of Russian origin who, with their hands on their hearts, say that never in their whole lives have they had any difficulty in relations with Latvians. Those people had learned Latvian in childhood, which helped tremendously with their integration into society.

I mention as a positive sign of good cohabitation between the two ethnic groups the fact that up to 20% of marriages are mixed marriages between Russians and Latvians.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

But the state is providing financing for the education of national minorities. We have almost 200 schools where schooling is entirely in Russian. I think that we have more than 150 schools that are bilingual and, as I mentioned in my presentation, we have a number of other ethnic minorities for whom schooling is offered in their languages.

In this regard, we are well ahead of Russia, which has six million Ukrainians but not a single Ukrainian school within its frontiers.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

You have one sitting in front of you, and there have been a number of others. Unfortunately, we do not have full statistics on the number of repatriations. One of the populations that would like to come back to Latvia is having difficulty – those who were deported to Siberia at various periods. They have lived -1 should say survived – under very difficult conditions. We would welcome international help and financial assistance to resettle these people who were forcibly deported in Soviet times.

The people who fled as refugees to the West and to democratic countries have of course, after half a century, in many ways taken root in the places that they have made their homes. Their children have often intermarried with the local population. For many of them, it is difficult and wrenching to decide whether to return to their native home.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

I have already answered the second question. The first and third questions were somewhat similar. Latvia is making every effort to make it possible for people of good will to become citizens of the country. The requirements are absolutely minimal. It is a question of desire, a personal decision that people must make about whether they want to link their fate with the future of Latvia or with that of some other country. As I said, thousands of people have opted to choose Russian citizenship because they came to Latvia while it was still an occupied territory of the Soviet Union. Their identity and sense of belonging is with their birthplace and it is perfectly legitimate for them to choose that option.

Latvian citizenship is open to every person of good will who is willing to accept the sovereignty and independence of our nation, that they are in a country that was originally inhabited by Latvians and where the state language is Latvian. We also require a minimal, elementary knowledge of our constitution and history. We do not require new citizens to know more than certain rudiments of our history, so that they have some idea of where they are living, and the kind of place with which they are linking their fate. One cannot force people to make a commitment. It is an individual decision, but we are encouraging them in every possible way. As President, I have been very active, and I intend to continue being active, in reminding people that the doors are open and we are ready to welcome them. I have been to shake the hands of new citizens and tell them that they have made a wise and good decision, and that we are happy to have them. However, we cannot force people. They are the ones who have to choose to take the step.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

No, that is not it at all. We are simply introducing the Latvian language as a subject in Russian language schools, where it was not taught before. The rather extraordinary thing is that some people have spent their entire lives in Latvia without learning one word of Latvian. We want to remedy..that in the most natural and painless manner, by introducing Latvian as a compulsory language in schools. To facilitate the process and make it less painful, that is being done gradually, and the number of hours of instruction in the state language are being gradually increased until 2004. Even in that year, however, students in Russian schools will still have instruction in the Russian language and culture. There will also continue to be folklore groups and other cultural activities, which will be supported within the school environment, for the various ethnic groups.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

Yes, indeed. I have said it three times. We have the intention, but we have not set the day.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

Unfortunately, the people responsible for those bloody events, the tenth anniversary of which we have just finished commemorating, have not been brought to justice. There have been a certain number of trials of lower-ranking leaders of the groups responsible for the attacks on various structures, and for the loss of life among unarmed civilians, as well as the militia who were defending the Ministry of the Interior. One person of secondary rank, Mr Parfionov, was tried and received a four-year sentence. He was then eligible for amnesty, which reduced his sentence to two years, after which Russia asked for extradition. Under our international understanding, that of course meant that he should have served his sentence in Russia – but immediately after crossing the frontier he was given amnesty, and therefore has not served the sentence for his crimes.

A number of other people of lower rank were tried in Latvia, but they received conditional sentences on the grounds that they were simply obeying orders, and the initiative did not come from them. Nobody has been put behind bars, or paid, in a judicial sense, for the bloody events of ten years ago.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

We share the concern with everybody in Europe, but of course, we share it especially with another people who inhabit the shores of the Baltic sea. We all recall that the Baltic sea was supposed to be a nuclear-free zone. We were reassured by official statements by the Russian Government that there had been no new deployment of nuclear weapons in that area, and we devoutly hope that that is so. For the sake of the future security of Europe, this is an important condition.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

The current legislation of Latvia with regard to both citizenship and language meets every international criterion, particularly within the framework of the European Community. Our language law has been modified several times. It has been elaborated in close co-operation with European institutions, and Commissioner Van der Stoel and other international experts have worked in close collaboration with the Latvian authorities. The language law as it now stands satisfies every criterion of international law and justice, and we have been pleased to receive a number of compliments on the level of justice that we have achieved.

Under the Soviet occupation, it was the Latvian inhabitants who in their own native country had lost the right to engage in a variety of activities in the public sector in their native tongue. By restoring Latvian as a state language, we have restored the rights of the native population, and the rights of those who speak other languages are exactly the same as those of any minority in any other country where there is one official language. Having to learn a language is not the end of the world. I know that some people have not managed to learn even a few sentences of Latvian in their whole lives – but those of us who have been exiles and have lived in a variety of lands and continents can attest to the fact that learning languages is not a hardship but an enrichment. It is a cultural and intellectual enrichment. It is something that opens doors and allows communication and understanding. No harm is being done to Latvia, as we encourage better communication with fellow citizens.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

Efforts have begun to monitor both postal boxes and advertisements in the press. The Ministry of the Interior tells me that it has been overwhelmed by the amount of material that is being produced on the Internet. Alluring offers appear, which frequently naïve young girls answer in the hope of moving to the West and making money. They are being offered positions as nannies, baby sitters, models and various other innocent-sounding occupations. Often, the first thing that happens when they get their ticket to move abroad, is that their passports are taken away.

Basically, we are dealing with white slavery. This trade in human flesh involves both women and minors. It is an international phenomenon that involves international crime, and international solutions are required. The trade is fostered by demand in countries where consumers have the buying power to be able to afford this type of entertainment.

The onus is on countries where there is demand for human flesh. These countries should monitor their institutions and levels of distribution, as monitoring should take place in the countries from which unfortunate people are being exported.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

I remind the Assembly that a most interesting conference took place in October 1999, which was held in Yalta at the initiative of Mr Koutchma, the President of Ukraine. Black Sea and Baltic Sea countries and their leaders were represented. It was a most interesting initiative and the possibilities for close collaboration between the regions were explored. The conference closed with the hope that initiatives would be followed up. Latvia stands ready to collaborate in every way with our neighbours to the East as well as to the West.

Ms Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

We most certainly congratulate Estonia on the decision that it has taken, but we note that other countries still maintain the principle that the right to vote is a privilege of citizenship. Latvia belongs to that group, and at present that is our position. The right to vote is and remains a privilege of citizenship.