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The Latvian authorities need to heed the recommendations received from the UN Committee on the issue of observing the rights of minorities, according to Moscow. According to the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, Riga must take effective measures at the legislative and political level to fulfill its international obligations in the field of human rights, TASS reports.
Two weeks ago, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights advised Latvia to revise its language policy and legislation in the field of education. The international organization recommended Riga to encourage teaching and learning in minority languages. Latvia also needs to pass a law aimed at combating discrimination.
As emphasized in Moscow, international experts believe that the Latvian authorities are pursuing a discriminatory policy towards minorities.
The Latvian authorities were reminded of such a shameful phenomenon as mass statelessness. Many stateless people are overwhelmed by their economic, social and cultural rights, and this must be stopped. Riga also needs to ensure that language laws do not discriminate against minorities in the labor market.
Maria Zakharova assured that Russia would continue to actively defend the rights of its compatriots, wherever they are.
As Russkiy Mir reported earlier, Latvia has become an object of criticism in the Council of Europe. They noted that Riga should more actively fight xenophobia. This was stated by the authors of the resolution adopted at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CMCE) on March 3.
The document notes that the Latvian authorities do not pay attention to manifestations of xenophobia, which, in turn, leads to an atmosphere of impunity. In addition, the resolution expresses concern that the use of the languages of national minorities in the educational sphere is increasingly being restricted in the Baltic republic.
Russkiy Mir
