Andris Berzins, who took oath as Latvian president less than two months ago, said in an interview with the Russian-language Chas daily he will not pretend to forget Russian language like his predecessor did.
Berzins' predecessor Valdis Zatlers, known to speak Russian fluently, has ignored any attempt by the media to speak Russian to him since taking the post in 2007. Latvian has the status of the state language in the republic, whereas Russian is considered a foreign language.
"I have spoken and I will speak Russian," the recently elected president said. "Of course, I will speak Latvian during official speeches, when it is obligatory according to the protocol. But in some unofficial situations, when it's easier to deliver my opinion in Russian, I will speak Russian, or English, or German. Why not?"
"It may sound cliched, but we must learn foreign languages... Knowing Russian may be an advantage in many situations, and it's unwise to reject it," Berzins said.
Russians have been Latvia's largest ethnic minority for the last two centuries. According to the 2000 census figures available on the website of the country's Central Statistical Bureau, more than 700,000 people, or almost 30% of the population, declared themselves ethnic Russians.
