Latvia's radio and tv broadcasting to be multi-lingual again

Moscow has welcomed the decision by the Latvian Constitutional Court to repeal the restrictions for radio and television broadcasting in foreign languages, including Russian, said official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Yakovenko.

"This decision by the Latvian highest judicial instance can be only welcomed. Therefore, the court has recognized the obvious fact that Latvia had violated for years the right of people to get and distribute information as sealed in the international pact on civil and political rights and the European convention on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms," he said.

According to him, this decision "confirms once again the justified concern expressed by Russia on many occasions over the norms of the Latvian legislation" that restricted the internationally recognized norms of national minorities, including in the field of language use, and the "legitimacy" of the problem of language quotas raised by Moscow before Latvia and international organizations.