Lithuania's Culture Minister Urges Russian Language Consideration
Minsk 13 Aug VESTI. Language restrictions when providing state services in Lithuania should be taken into account with regard to the population composition, said Lithuanian Culture Minister Lukas Alsis, commenting on Vilnius City Council's refusal to accept written appeals and complaints in Russian.
Consensus
- The Lithuanian Minister of Culture, Lukas Alsės, emphasized the need to consider the ethnic composition of the population when making decisions about phasing out the Russian language in public services.
- The city administration of Vilnius has stopped accepting written complaints and appeals in Russian.
- Russian language can still be used orally in public services if an employee speaks Russian.
- There are significant numbers of ethnic minorities in Vilnius for whom Russian is the primary language of communication.
- The Minister stated that Russian language presence in public spaces, such as street names and toponyms, is being systematically reduced.
Points of divergence
- The Minister explicitly mentioned that many people from Ukraine also find it easier to communicate in Russian at present. — kommersant
- The Mayor of Vilnius, Valdas Bandkūnas, requested the State Security Department to assess whether rapper Alisher Morgenshtern, listed as a foreign agent by the Ministry of Justice, poses a threat to national security. — vesti
Coverage (3 sources)
- Ministry of Culture of Lithuania called to take into account the composition of the population when refusing the Russian language — Коммерсантъ
- Ministry of Culture of Lithuania called to take into account the composition of the population when refusing the Russian language — Коммерсантъ
- In Lithuania, urged to take into account population composition when refusing Russian language — Вести