The leader of Russia's Liberal Democrats, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, has expressed hope that Latvia will review its policies concerning 'non-citizens' after forthcoming parliamentary elections.
Speaking during a news conference, which followed a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Latvia's capital, Riga, Zhirinovsky expressed confidence that "in the autumn, after the elections, some democratic party would take power [in Latvia], which would review the issue of 'non-citizens' and the status of the Russian language in Latvia."
Latvia will hold parliamentary elections in October. Public polls show the Harmony Centre party, which stands for the protection of rights of the Russian-speaking population in the country, enjoying the largest support.
The Baltic state, with a population of 2.3 million, has around 300,000 people without citizenship - mainly former Soviet citizens who have been refused Latvian passports since 1991.
Non-citizens are not considered stateless persons under Latvian law but lack full rights, with the main restriction depriving 'non-citizens' of the right to vote.
Human rights activists in Latvia have said that 'non-citizens' have even fewer rights than citizens of other EU countries residing in Latvia and asked President Valdis Zatlers to review the situation.
Russia has repeatedly called on the EU to address infringements of human rights of 'non-citizens' in the Baltic States. Estonia also has several thousands "non-citizens."
In 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree simplifying visa requirements for former Soviet citizens residing in Latvia and Estonia. The move provoked criticism from both Baltic countries, which said that it could harm Russia-EU partnership negotiations.
RIGA, May 29 (RIA Novosti)
