Latvia culture minister orders new curbs on Russian language use

Latvia's culture minister has ordered new restrictions on the use of Russian in the public sphere, including a ban on advertising performances by the country's Russian Theatre in Russian.

Culture Minister Nauris Puntulis said the measures were aimed at strengthening the role of Latvian as the country's sole official language and promoting a unified information space, Caliber.Az reports per Latvian media.

The move follows a decision by Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava to prohibit the use of Russian in official communications among employees under his authority.

Puntulis, a member of the National Alliance party, issued an order whose stated objective is the removal of the Russian language from the public sphere.

"At the core of our statehood is the Latvian language as the only state language, and its status is enshrined in the Constitution," Puntulis said. He added that Latvia's Constitutional Court had recognised the state's duty to strengthen the use of Latvian in public life and foster a unified information environment.

"Every institution must treat the use of the state language with respect, and we ourselves must increase the use and importance of our language," he said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev