Baltic countries’ Russians issue in Putin’s platform
President of Latvia Andris Berzinesh has declared that the provision to declare Russian language as the second official language of Latvia in Putin's pre-electoral platform is inadmissible and interferes in Latvia's domestic affairs, reports Interfax.
"In addition, I disagree with the view that Latvians aren't free to speak in Russian. I declare to everyone to find any country that promotes ethnic minorities more than Latvia. In Latvia, people can preserve their national and cultural values and receive education in 8 languages. This is our wealth," President Berzinesh declared on the local television.
In his pre-electoral platform released in the "Moscow Novosti" newspaper, Putin wrote that there were scandalous violations of the rights of Russian-speaking citizens.
"We will be determined to solve the issue of protecting the rights of ethnic minorities in Latvia and Estonia through pressure from reputable international organizations," Putin wrote.
