Latvija in brief - 2010-09-30

  • 2010-09-29

Latvia’s current foreign policy course will not change after the parliamentary elections, scheduled for Oct. 2, President Valdis Zatlers said on Sept. 24 during a meeting in the United States with representatives from the American Jewish Committee, reports LETA. Foreign Minister Aivis Ronis attended the meeting with representatives of the American Jewish Committee. Discussed during the meeting were topics related to the situation in the Middle East, possible peace-process scenarios, the role of Iran and Turkey in the region, as well as the possibility of the creation of a Palestinian state. Continuing the discussion on foreign affairs, the Latvian president emphasized that Latvia can be proud of its excellent relations with the United States, especially pointing out to the defense cooperation, as well as the transit of goods to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan via Latvia. Zatlers also pointed out to the good cooperation between the Riga City Council and the Latvian Jewish community.

On Sept. 30, two days before Saturday’s Saeima elections, a new portal will be launched called ‘Pietiek’ (Enough), which will make public the so-called ‘beneficiaries’ list of illegal payments made by Ventspils Mayor Aivars Lembergs from 2001 to 2006, reports LETA. “Our motivation is simple - we wish to uncover those dishonest politicians who have taken or given bribes, and this is the best time to do it,” said the portal’s authors. The ‘beneficiaries’ list will initially be available on the new portal - www.pietiek.com. Lembergs has been charged with serious criminal offenses. According to then-Prosecutor General Janis Maizitis, approximately 60 politicians and well-known figures have been questioned in this case, however, they have signed an agreement not to make any information public, as the Prosecutor’s Office is also not allowed to release this information. “If a bribe is given to achieve a certain parliamentary vote, such things cannot take place in a democratic country,” Maizitis emphasized.

More than half the adult residents of Latvia have an excellent command of a foreign language, which is the highest level in the European Union, according to a recent poll by Eurostat, reports LETA. English is the foreign language which most EU citizens feel their skills are strongest in, while residents of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland indicated that Russian is their strongest foreign language. 54.7 percent of Latvian respondents rated their knowledge of their first foreign language, in this case Russian, as very good. 24.7 percent of those polled rated their skills as good, while 15.2 percent indicated they had basic knowledge. After Latvia, second place in the rankings was held by Slovenia, where 45.4 percent of respondents indicated an expert knowledge of English. Third place was held by Slovakia, where 44.3 percent of respondents indicated very good abilities in Czech.