The large Russian minorities in Latvia and Estonia, which joined the EU along with Lithuania in 2003, have repeatedly complained of discrimination by their governments, including denial of citizenship and employment rights, a position that has received strong support from the Russian authorities.
"Although Russia has exerted no pressure on any member of the European Union and does not intend to do so, we are consistent in raising the question of Baltic States' compliance with international obligations and recommendations," the press service quoted Putin as saying in response to an Internet conference last Thursday.
After regaining independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Latvia and Estonia did not automatically grant citizenship to residents whose parents or grandparents arrived in the country after what they consider the occupation of 1940, and has launched educational reforms reducing the use of the Russian language in schools.
Putin said that the EU must ensure that Riga and Tallinn follow the recommendations of the OSCE Higher Commissar on National Minorities and Commissar of the Council of Europe, to provide equal rights to minorities who have been living in the country for a long time, and for those who arrived within the last decade.
He also called for compliance with the EU Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the Council of Europe Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
