> RIGA, May 8 (Reuters) – In a Stalinist skyscraper which dominates the skyline of Latvia’s capital, dozens of elderly Russians wait to take a basic Latvian language test as a proof of loyalty to a country where they have lived for decades.
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> Clutching red Russian passports, the participants, mostly women, read their notes for last minute revision, fearing they may be expelled from the Baltic country if they fail.
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> Speaking Russian instead of Latvian has not been a problem until now, but the war in Ukraine changed the picture. Last year’s election campaign was dominated by questions of national identity and security concerns.
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> The government now demands a language test from the 20,000 people in the country holding Russian passports, mostly elderly and female, as the loyalty of Russian citizens is a worry, said Dmitrijs Trofimovs, state secretary at the Interior Ministry.
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> …
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> Russian citizens under 75 who do not pass the test by the end of the year will be given reasonable time to leave, Trofimovs said. If they do not leave, they could face a “forced expulsion”.
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> …
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> To pass, they need to understand basic Latvian phrases and speak in simple sentences, such as “I would like to have a dinner and I would like to choose fish, not meat”, said Liene Voronenko, head of Latvia’s National Centre of Education, which conducts the exams.
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To be honest, i think you should learn the language of the Nation If you intend to live there for the Rest of your Life.
In my opinion not doing that is a sign that you don’t wish to include yourself in your chosen country to live
We don’t want Russia to use Russian speakers as an excuse to invade.
Well, well, well.
I went to Latvia in March. Beautiful place and I did hear a mixture of both Latvian and Russian though admittedly not knowing much of both didn’t help with me differentiating the two.
I had a great time my only regret was coming during snow season in sneakers.
Another common Latvia W!
if you have citizenship you can speak whatever language you want.
Really? Russians don’t want to be deported to Russia? Huh… wonder why…? /s
This is f-ed up. If Romania started to administer tests (with the threat of expulsion!) to Romanian citizens with Hungarian passports we’d be out of the EU…
Can someone explain to me how Baltics joined the EU?
It would have been so great if baltics had allies on their side in the 1920s. We wouldn’t even have a situation like this, probably would have turned out like Finland
i have always had an issue with how latvia treats its russian minority, making them stateless for not speaking latvian etc. but arguably people who have a post independence russian passport dont have a right to stay. it’s severe though.
Could this apply to any other country and a minority or is this just Balt specific?
I’d be very interested to see clear percentages on these tests. Hope they will publish them later
14 comments
> RIGA, May 8 (Reuters) – In a Stalinist skyscraper which dominates the skyline of Latvia’s capital, dozens of elderly Russians wait to take a basic Latvian language test as a proof of loyalty to a country where they have lived for decades.
>
> Clutching red Russian passports, the participants, mostly women, read their notes for last minute revision, fearing they may be expelled from the Baltic country if they fail.
>
> Speaking Russian instead of Latvian has not been a problem until now, but the war in Ukraine changed the picture. Last year’s election campaign was dominated by questions of national identity and security concerns.
>
> The government now demands a language test from the 20,000 people in the country holding Russian passports, mostly elderly and female, as the loyalty of Russian citizens is a worry, said Dmitrijs Trofimovs, state secretary at the Interior Ministry.
>
> …
>
> Russian citizens under 75 who do not pass the test by the end of the year will be given reasonable time to leave, Trofimovs said. If they do not leave, they could face a “forced expulsion”.
>
> …
>
> To pass, they need to understand basic Latvian phrases and speak in simple sentences, such as “I would like to have a dinner and I would like to choose fish, not meat”, said Liene Voronenko, head of Latvia’s National Centre of Education, which conducts the exams.
>
> …
To be honest, i think you should learn the language of the Nation If you intend to live there for the Rest of your Life.
In my opinion not doing that is a sign that you don’t wish to include yourself in your chosen country to live
We don’t want Russia to use Russian speakers as an excuse to invade.
Well, well, well.
I went to Latvia in March. Beautiful place and I did hear a mixture of both Latvian and Russian though admittedly not knowing much of both didn’t help with me differentiating the two.
I had a great time my only regret was coming during snow season in sneakers.
Another common Latvia W!
if you have citizenship you can speak whatever language you want.
Really? Russians don’t want to be deported to Russia? Huh… wonder why…? /s
This is f-ed up. If Romania started to administer tests (with the threat of expulsion!) to Romanian citizens with Hungarian passports we’d be out of the EU…
Can someone explain to me how Baltics joined the EU?
It would have been so great if baltics had allies on their side in the 1920s. We wouldn’t even have a situation like this, probably would have turned out like Finland
i have always had an issue with how latvia treats its russian minority, making them stateless for not speaking latvian etc. but arguably people who have a post independence russian passport dont have a right to stay. it’s severe though.
Could this apply to any other country and a minority or is this just Balt specific?
I’d be very interested to see clear percentages on these tests. Hope they will publish them later