Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-02-03-Speech-2-484"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2009-02-03"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Voting rights for non-citizens of Latvia in local elections (debate)2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20090203.24.2-484"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2009-02-03-Speech-2-4852
lpv:speaker	lp:Georgs Andrejevs2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, first of all it must be remembered that after 1945, as the British, French, Belgians and Dutch streamed out of their colonies, the Russians started to stream into them. Also in 1949, when the Geneva Convention prohibited settling civilians in occupied territories, the Russification of Latvia was intensified, and a flow of two million immigrants was organised by the Soviet authorities. It can therefore be said that, when the Republic of Latvia regained its independence in 1991, the Soviet-era newcomers were in Latvia illegally. So the Russians today are being granted citizenship via naturalisation as a humanitarian act by the Latvian Government, and not as a right. According to the Charter of the United Nations, normally citizenship laws belong to a country’s internal affairs and no other countries can meddle with them, not even the UN itself. Therefore, the position of the Latvian authorities with regard to the possibility of granting voting rights to non-citizens is firm and unchanged: the right to vote is an integral part of citizenship. Such a position is also in line with international law and practice. At the same time, Latvia, with considerable financial help from other countries – with the exception of Russia – has made significant efforts to facilitate the naturalisation process and integration of non-citizens in Latvia, bringing the percentage of non-citizens down to 16% at the end of 2008. Our aim is to ensure that all inhabitants of Latvia can apply for citizenship and enjoy their rights fully and effectively. Latvia aims to have citizens with full rights, instead of having non-citizens with many rights. I understand that this position of Latvia contradicts the policy published in the Russian by Mr Karaganov in 1992, as well as his supporters here in the European Parliament, but we will never give up protecting our country against these disinformation campaigns."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	member; ENVI (2007-01-31--2009-07-13)3 substitute; Temporary Committee on Climate Change (2007-05-10--2009-02-04)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 member_of_the_bureau; ALDE (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Armenia, EU-Azerbaijan and EU-Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committees (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 unknown; - (2008-11-04--2009-07-13)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Diplomatic Herald"1 "Georgs Andrejevs,"1 "on behalf of the ALDE Group."1
lpv:videoURI	<go to Events_and_structure europarl>2

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