The so-called “language war” gets more tense because of the Ukrainian crisis. Russia yesterday signaled concern at Estonia’s treatment of its large ethnic Russian minority, comparing language policy in the Baltic state with what it said was a call in Ukraine to prevent the use of Russian, reported Reuters.
Russia has defended its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula by arguing it has the right to protect Russian-speakers outside its borders, so the reference to linguistic tensions in another former Soviet republic comes at a highly sensitive moment.
Russia fully supported the protection of the rights of linguistic minorities, a Moscow diplomat told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, according to a summary of the session issued by the U.N.’s information department. (more)
Read the whole story here: http://balticbusinessnews.com/article/2014/3/20/moscow-signals-concern-for-russians-in-estonia
Source: bbn.ee - Toomas Hõbemägi