Latvija in brief - 2004-09-15

The official spelling of the word "euro" for the European currency was discussed at a recent meeting of EU finance ministers, some of whom were surprised by the multiple spelling uses of some new member states. Such deviation, according to officials, violated a 1997 decision permitting no other spelling than "euro," the only exception being Greece due to their different alphabet. Latvians have been using "eiro" but have been discussing a change to "eira" since the o-ending is not grammatically declinable.

The government accepted a proposal by the Welfare Ministry to increase state support for children to 296 lats (441 euros) as of October. The present allowance is 98 lats, though this could double to 196 lats if the mother registers her pregnancy by the 12th week. Officials hope the increased support would curb Latvia's declining population. Other incentives include increasing the child-care benefit to 70 percent of one parent's average wage, with a ceiling of 392 lats monthly.

Reports that canned fish had been sold in the Riga central market long past the date of expiry sparked concern among officials and led to the detention of a 22-ton shipment of such goods destined for the U.N.'s humanitarian aid program. The shipment of old fish, two years past expiry, allegedly arrived by way of Norway to the port city of Ventspils on Aug. 22 and was seized by the sanitary border control.

Latvia voiced its support for Turkey's eventual EU membership when Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul (photo) met with his Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks. "With Turkey's accession, the role of the EU in the world will increase. Turkey can serve as a bridge between the West and the East," Pabriks was quoted as saying. Latvia is expected to open an embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara in November. Turkey, in turn, offered to take over for the Danes in defending Baltic airspace when their term expires.

A NATO military committee meeting took place in the capital on Sept. 11 and was called a success by Gen. Harald Kujat. The committee meets three times a year. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage visited Latvia to thank the country both for its support in Iraq and its role in strengthening civil society in Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

The Russian General Prosecutor's Office announced that since former OMON special forces soldier Vyacheslav Sorokin had taken Russian citizenship, it would not allow him to face trial in Latvia for his role in the January 1991 coup attempt in which six people died. Forty-three OMON soldiers were wanted in connection with the attempted coup. The statute of limitations ran out in 2002, and those not identified beforehand cannot be tried.