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Old 12-05-2007, 19:47   #247
Linda16 Linda16 is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Estonia/Washington, D.C.
Gender: Female
Posts: 184

Sunrider, I'm continuing this discussion not in the hope that I will change your world view, but for the sake of others who may read this thread.

I'm saying that Estonia is an open, fast developing normal democratic state.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunrider View Post
Many of these Russians have been living in Estonia for several generations now; yet they are unable to obtain Estonian citizenship. Like I said, 35% of them currently posses no citizenship of any nation at all. Explain to me what the problem is then. Do you really think not automatically granting citizenship to normal Estonian Russian families who have been living in Estonia for generations after the Estonian independence was the humane thing to do? I think it isn't. They've become victims of the situation.

Russians are not discriminated? Russians have difficulty getting jobs, loans etc.
As haku already mentioned, it's not difficult to know Estonian at least on the minimum level. Most of countries are requiring that a person applying for the citizenship is able to communicate in the language of the country. I have been in Norway and African and Vietnamise immigrants spoke fluently Norwegian, not questioning the fact at all. So, I do not understand, why it is so difficult to make a small effort for obtaining the citizenship. For instance, when I come to France and want to apply for French citizenship, it's elementary that I have to understand French.

Today in Estonia, we do not suffer from unemployment, but we are suffering from the lack of labour force. Everyone, who really wants to work has no difficulty to find a job. Companies are competing with each other for getting workers. The only sectors where Russians not speaking Estonian have difficulties in getting jobs is government sector and service industries - because in these jobs they have to communicate in Estonian. But again, can you imagine a French government officer not understanding French?

And as for the loans - several Russians are much more wealthy that Estonians. Whoever has a decent income, can get a loan today in Estonia.

I have lived here in Estonia for all my life. I do not know what you mean by the "dirty looks" you received when you spoke Russian. In the centre of Tallinn you hear people speaking Russian, Finnish, English, Swedish, Estonian, German. Everyone is accustomed to it.

I repeat, Estonia is a democratic and open-minded liberal country.
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