VILNIUS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's Department of National Minorities has called for a balanced approach to the growing public debate over Russian language use, urging respect for ethnic minorities while promoting Lithuanian learning.
According to the Baltic News Service (BNS), Dainius Babilas, the department's director, emphasized that Russian is spoken by both recent arrivals and long-standing Russian minorities, including Old Believers. He warned against letting efforts to promote the national language fuel division or hatred.
While supporting Lithuanian language learning for long-term residents, Babilas called on public figures and media to communicate responsibly.
Lithuania's Constitution and minority laws protect language and cultural rights. Recent legal amendments require service providers to speak basic Lithuanian by 2026, though Ukrainian refugees are temporarily exempt. The Education Ministry noted challenges in language instruction for foreigners.
