All children of non-citizens born in Latvia should be citizens: president

Non-citizens' children born in Latvia should all become Latvian citizens upon their birth, Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis said Tuesday during a discussion at which experts debated how to determine whether someone belongs the Latvian nation or not.

Liesma Ose, the head of a workgroup for society consolidation, opened the debate by presenting a report on the achievements and unsolved issues in the area of society consolidation.

"Latvia's integration policy has so far been implemented with mixed success -- there have been successes, but as far as society consolidation and its policies are concerned, there is still room for improvement," Ose said.

The experts believe that the Latvian authorities should work out a realistic integration strategy that would provide for cooperation between various central and local government institutions, as well as nongovernmental groups.

The workgroup of experts, which has been set up under the president's auspices, believes that the society integration policy should be based on the recognition of diversity as a characteristic feature of a modern society and the freedom to choose one's ethnic, religious or other affiliations.

Policy-makers should also recognize ethnic minorities as a part of Latvia's society and that the basis of Latvia's statehood is the Latvian nation, which historically includes ethnic minorities.

The experts also stressed the importance of cultural dialogue, as cultural interaction prevents the cultivation of negative stereotypes and ethnic tensions.

President Vejonis described the consolidation of society as a matter of national security. In his opinion, Latvian-born children of non-citizens should become Latvian citizens on their birth. Endit