At the beginning of the discussion, Chairperson of the Expert Group on Social Cohesion Policy established by the President of Latvia Liesma Ose presented the expert drafted report on achievements of social cohesion policy and issues to be addressed. Three parts of the report include an analysis of the current policy as well as conclusions and recommendations for future action. “The current integration policy has been implemented with varying success: there is progress, but there still are opportunities for improvement of social cohesion and its policy. Solutions can be found by searching a common language and creating situations when the feeling of common “we” can occur,” said L. Ose.
“Social cohesion is one of the issues of national security. The children of non-citizens born in Latvia should become citizens of the Republic of Latvia at the moment of their birth. We must stop creating more new citizens of a non-existing country and nationals of former USSR,” concluded President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis after the debate having introduced himself with the report of the Expert Group on Social Cohesion Policy.
In terms of the principles to determine affiliation to the Latvian nation, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Latvia, Professor of the Riga Graduate School of Law Ineta Ziemele pointed to the processes of globalization present in the world, which no historically established nation-state could avoid. “Is it wise to stick to a relatively narrow, ethnic, awareness of affiliation to the Latvian nation under the conditions of globalization? Modern nations based on common values, which are also defined in the Constitution of Latvia, are emerging in the world,” said I. Ziemele.
Senior Researcher of the Philosophy and Sociology Institute of the University of Latvia Dagmāra Beitnere stressed that Latvians have been an open nation historically, because representatives of many ethnic groups have integrated in Latvia throughout centuries. “Societies cannot only be open or closed. A society secludes oneself when a situation requires, but it opens in order to sustain development,” said D.Beitnere.
Professor of the University of Latvia, MP Janīna Kursīte-Pakule stated that a broader discussion was required among both Latvians and other nationalities before specific legislative initiatives are drafted with the purpose to change the way, in which affiliation to the Latvian nation would be determined. She called for the development of affiliation of the Latvian residents to the state of Latvia by improving social and economic conditions of minorities, information space, and proficiency of Latvian language.
Member of the Expert Group on Social Cohesion Policy established by the President of Latvia Olga Proskurova, Professor of the University of Latvia Brigita Zepa and Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Evika Siliņa participated in the discussion by commenting the media coverage on the issue of so-called open Latvianness and by evaluating the criteria that were aired as potential prerequisites for determining affiliation to the Latvian nation from a practical point of view.
