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European Parliament calls on Latvia to enable minorities study in their native language

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European Parliament calls on Latvia to enable minorities study in their native language


21.02.2019

Photo: © Flickr/European Parliament

Members of the European Parliament decided to remind Riga of the need to provide national minorities with the opportunity to study in their native language, Sputnik news agency reports. 

The European Parliament Committee on Culture forwarded an official message to the Head of Latvian government Krisjianis Karinsha. It notes that actions of the authorities of Baltic republic in the elimination of Russian-language education cause serious concern. 

Yana Toom, the representative of Estonia in the European Parliament, took the initiative of the message. According to her, the petition of a Latvian citizen became the reason. Its author noted that the struggle of Latvian authorities against Russian-speaking education is contrary to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Members of the cultural committee discussed the petition and admitted that educational system cannot be isolated from the sociolinguistic context and society. European parliamentarians are convinced that there is no doubt that "children need training in their native language, especially in elementary school." 

As Russkiy Mir reported, according to the education reform, Russian-language schools have been destroyed in Latvia almost completely. The resolution on the protection and non-discrimination of minorities in the EU states that EU countries should provide the right to use a minority language and protect the linguistic diversity of the EU. 

Yana Toom expressed satisfaction with the way her colleagues reacted to Latvian educational reforms. She believes that this message will give a signal to Estonian politicians who are also trying to eliminate education in Russian.

Russkiy Mir

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