A representative of the Russian foreign ministry, Alexander Chepurin, told the Russian news agency Interfax that Estonia and Latvia have so many non-citizens that both countries could be put in the Guinness Book of World Records. Chepurin heads the department that organizes contact with Russians living abroad, and he said that the situation with the rights and social-economic status of Russians in the Baltic states and other CIS countries raises concern. "Russia must not stand on the sidelines, when the issue is about human rights and limitation of freedom. It is indeed our duty on behalf of our countrymen, the prestige of our country, and our national interest," he stressed.
