• Minister of Transport Kaspars Gerhards refused to speak Russian at a Russian language TV live broadcast
• MP Martins Roze: there are only two ethnic minority groups – Livonians and Roma

Newspapers report that the Minister of Transport Kaspars Gerhards refused to speak Russian at a Russian language TV live broadcast “Un-censored.” The Minister got invited to the channel’s TV5 broadcast in order to speak about issues under his competence but Mr. Gerhards from the very beginning replied to the broadcast’s host in Latvian and when asked to speak Russian refused it and left the studio. TV5’s management asserts the Minister was informed that the broadcast is in Russian, while Mr. Gerhards asserts that he informed the broadcast’s editors that he will speak only in Latvian. In previous years, Mr. Gerhards used to give interviews in very good Russian to journalists of Russian-language TV and radio broadcasts in his official capacity. Head of the National Radio and Television Council Abrams Kleckins commenting the incident stated that it is a scandal that the state official who’s mother tongue is Latvian was demanded to speak Russian and that it contradicts the State Language law. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf, Latvijas Avize, Diena, Neatkariga

One of the leaders of the Union of Greens and Farmers, MP Martins Roze in an interview with Latvijas Avize stated that there are only two ethnic minority groups – Livonians and Roma because they do not have their own homeland but have own culture. Mr. Roze believes that so-called Russian speaking residents of Latvia do not have one shared culture or origin because among them are Russians, Belorussians, Jews and representatives of other ethnicities. And, therefore, their culture and language are not endangered because these are preserved in their homeland.