Vilnius Stops Accepting Requests in Russian
The Vilnius City Council will no longer consider written applications and complaints submitted in Russian. This change is part of a policy to strengthen the role of the official language and integrate foreigners into Lithuanian society.
City officials explained that Russian and other languages of countries outside the European Union will henceforth be accepted only for oral communication. This will be possible provided that a specific employee is fluent in the relevant language.
Russian has also been removed from the city government’s official website and the visitor queue management system. Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas stated that the city is consistently implementing the decision adopted this spring to strengthen the position of the Lithuanian language.
According to him, in just a few months, free language programs have already reached more than a thousand foreigners. At the same time, the number of preschool groups teaching in Russian has been reduced by 40%. City authorities are also expanding opportunities for learning Lithuanian.
This year, more than 1,000 people are expected to take part in free courses and distance learning programs, for which an additional €300,000 has been allocated. Language clubs will begin operating in various districts of Vilnius this fall. By the end of the year, there are also plans to launch a special platform for self-study of the Lithuanian language by foreigners living in the capital.
Source: LRT
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