from stuporous you. start on t.v. don't. ok it is a five thirty pm here in moscow this is r.t. become your headlines now syria's opposition says it will not engage in dialogue with the country's president and hopes moscow will hope to bring about a change in the current regime moscow is pushing for the warring sides to sit down and talk violence in the country intensifying over the past two months. emergency aid is being sent to russia's southern region of cross in the dark well over a hundred and seventy people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless amid flash flooding humanitarian assistance that was coming in from all over the country as volunteers try to help victims get back on their feet. and the former boss of

barclays bank gives up a twenty million pound bonus after resigning but is still in line for quite a tidy payoff fuelling claims that big bankers get rewarded regardless of their alleged wrongdoing. now i'll go off puts a spotlight on the mayor of that for years capital here on arts. hello again. right algernon and today my guest is new york.

from the u.s. and saw that. it was immediately provided along the wafts russia. thirty percent of the population still have to fight there. but back in two thousand and nine the landmark election happened in. election which brought a rush and that's the question to the mayor's chair and that happened for the first time in the history of more. so what has happened since place three years have eased the ethnic tensions over that well we'll ask the man himself mayor this legal trouble. for a very long time the territory that nowadays belong to a lot rio was a part of the russian empire. after the soviet collapse it. was left with one third of the ethnic russian population since then the coexistence of the two

peoples. when the global recession hit europe latvia was one of the countries that suffered. the wave of economic troubles and that. became the mayor of the capital riga. of tension between latvians and russians and the strengthening of time with russia. solution to relist trouble. cover welcome to the show thank you very much for being with us today. well first of all i'd like to ask about these countries that readers opening in supermarkets in moscow and i think also is that true dar we have plans to help in opening. training places in region as well but first of all it's most conversely. reduce providing. well if you can tell it's this way your political support political

support and we mean we provide good relations and we provide a good image for city good image for the name of rigo and it means that the person who is for instance making a choice between buying milk as it produced in russia will produce for instance in regal or produced and we saw. it. as a brand helps him to make a choice and to buy exactly this product so. we mostly dairy products away well not only they were about the world food stuff we produce see in country in general so we provide opportunities for the promoters do to use a separate unit as well what we see right now is that on the panellists now able to use this opportunity and the because previously when i when i was young. latvia wasn't so associated with their little fish or he's sporting are they going to be there to zero this is one of the name brands that you have at least in this country or belgium and stuff where they sell their parties are still back and. ready and

must go again because you know because what i have heard is when you join the european union they tried to not to let you make those smoke fishies anymore is that true though we have to survive it. so the production is so fast thank god ok well let's turn to two political questions according to public opinion polls in. your country you are the most popular mayor of riga in more than twenty years those that mean that you are supported not only by the russian speaking population but also by by ethnic ethnic latvians. part in which i am a leading was initially as a party which unites to guess what. but when russians so we have never been meant to be a single most incursion party we build our party as

a social democratic political force which is supported by russian speakers and. as an acquaintance we are widely supported by russians because sample of majority of russians or russians because who even in letters a word for our party because among social issues so we also deal and we try to solve problems are connected with human rights we so particular russian speaking problems because we believe that solving human rights issues and solving russian speaking problems help the country in general again we are not poor positioning ourselves first we are. assisting russians we're sitting russians another to assist . as a country when you see russia russian speaking problems you mean the problems of the russian speakers were or are they specific russian speaking problems well no i mean or we've got a considerable russian speaking. minority so those numbers of the russian speakers the russian speakers in the in the in our country well you harmony party work was

routinely accused of being pro russian well because they think the e.u. you call it a party of both but that. other people especially the conservatives say that your progression that you're oriented towards the russian federation that you that you believe that your policy in favor of the russian federation is that fair. well first of all we are supported and they're all election results and then all polls shows that we're supposed to both by russian speakers and by lightnin and so it's one of those first of all so on the will of course we are highly in favor of having good relations with russia for many reasons. number one number two number three number four number five is concerned about the economy because having good relations with russia means helping europe converse economy when we want to sell something in russia when you want to support your producers you have to have good relations with russia it is a cushion all i want to is say there is

a question of survival but this is a question of development because bilateral relations countries the last twenty years history is a track of lost opportunities of missed opportunities and we don't really want to miss this opportunity anymore so what we're doing at the local level is i'm in a spell that we're dealing with russian federation regions trying to promote. and this will products but it means that we have to have good relations with russia that's what we're trying to do and we believe so having good relations so we russia is if you help the way we could develop our country what's your main trading partner today the main partner for for that when economy not russia as though european you know your opinion so when you say that relations with russia are so important you mean second to the european union or do you say that relations with russia may be even more important than your relations the neighboring european

countries well we're not laboring the european union we are part of european union and obviously european union. is. a considerable part of our life in all senses but again european union will never buy hundred percent of our products and even if they buy one hundred percent of our product always makes sense to produce another hundred percent and sell them to russians so relations with russia are extremely important but of course we are e.u. member country and we are nato member country. you are there harmony party came first in the in the last election in autumn that was i think but you were blocked from from making a government by a co-op. right parties do you think that you would live long enough to see to see your party. be invited to a. coalition that will form a government but wouldn't really talk in terms of being invited or not being invited we go at number one place number one last year in full we didn't get fifty

one percent so each effect of a man's right wing nationalist were able to form their own coalition well we don't believe that this coalition though will end up as a success story for the country in general and we should see a lot so for problems right now and the end of the day on social issues and issues of solving our human rights problems understanding it's to help you to solve problems of the country in general we'll allow us to be a part of a coalition but we're not waiting for invitation i mean we're not someone who has to be invited when we will see a possibility we will be forming a coalition so when you say you're not waiting for the petition does that mean that these two parties the conservatives and the liberals the right and the left do they hate each other so much in your country that it's only a matter of winning fifty one percent that no compromise is possible oh my no

compromises are always possible and unfortunately never ever in life in history none of the pond is ever got up to fifty one percent so we always have coalition governments as a result we always have to split it responsibility as a result no responsibility for the action to form. one of the main political problems for. when we talk about the way we develop but i believe compromises are still possible but again when we talk we are not willing to invitation or mean so it's an issue of respecting voters. voters. an odd way things that someone allows them to do something and then invite them to do something that's what i mean you are a pretty young politician that only by post soviet standards but also by world standards do you have an ambition for for running for prime minister sunday do you think

about that you dream about that we've got quite a few young politicians say in latin and in the baltic states i presume that we had a prime minister's being under forty something like forty eight or so to nine so it's ok resourced so but yes i do see some visions on one hand was ours and i was elected mayor of the city and i will run for another term next year and i've got responsibilities. in front of. of the city i'm leaving now it's fun being in the really good are you enjoying yourself it's not always fun. but it's a good job it's interesting joe planned on my like without him. what do you like most. what part of the job. of him who you can really. results of your job holding for.

just for i.d.'s or supporting up the post or doing a paper book if you will to the budget in december in september next year you can go in and see what you've done because budgets you can see schools in the gardens or streets are something else you see results of what you have done and i always hope it's not well but i was a member of the parliament it's really. really different from what you do in the parliament we'll talk about that in less than a minute just fill my new shop called the narrative is my guest on spotlight today what life will be back in less than a minute after we take a break so stay with us. it's

technology innovation all these developments so. we've got the future. with welcome back to. just a reminder that my guest on the show today is neil who is the mayor of the city of brega capital. we just started speaking before the break about about the fun part of a good job well i guess one of the parts of your job which is no fun at all is overcoming the economic downfall as far as i know was said pretty hard by the

economic problems and now we read in the news that is overcoming these problems how is it going on the does it give the optimism. we lost roughly. the five close to one so. to the budget so it was a lot it was a lot so when we won the elections in two thousand and nine. we have to first thing we had to do was to cut down on all expenses. when we were cutting dawn expenditures we restructured so on a lot of people who. are employees number of departments. optimizing all expenditures as a result we. expenditures on social issues and we increased expenditures some renovating schools and opening you can the guns we spend and we keep on spending more money on police but we spend much less money on. as we believe on this

reinvestment projects and on bureaucracy as a result of this crisis help us to restructure see the in general what about has a budget and it was actually it was useful because now we're much stronger now we seize that. income tax. east so it's ok because so it's own main revenue source and there's the world we see is that the situation is getting better but still medical about optimism we have to be extremely cautious because there is one. bad tendency is that our number of unemployed people in the city creased decreased to what we had on top of something like fifty thousand unemployed now we've got sort of but what we see is that the huge bulk of people in brega country in general they will never be able to find jobs probably not never in foreseen future because they're stuck if you're. i don't

know fifty two years old female russian speak even let us because i'm doing the fact that we sell more product in russia as effects that we've got more to risk from scandinavia doesn't help this person to find a job it means that we always have to support from the social point a means there are people like categories of people that are due to live on welfare is that true. we provide some social support at the under we will have to be providing most support trying to. help them in getting new skills and probably to find another possibility to earn at least some income on their own but it is problematic it is problematic skill mismatch we see the amount of labor market is a big problem for conference doesn't sound like fun to me ok you are as represented as the leader of the harmony party it's a left wing party is supposed to be very social very socially ari and so how do you

manage to push further the social progress programs which are the core of your party policy in the conditions are very budget austerity without without without me making. very angry with here. we just restructured just what i've told you we spend much more money on social programs directly and indirectly introducing new ways to support you know people in. for instance you can use public transportation and pension years for free. and everyone who's attending school secondary schools for free and so on we pay social benefits anyone who. can cough occasions get the support part of people we decreased number employees for the first year to souls and then comparing to two souls and mind we are safe twenty me one lance which is a lot by budget standards just cruising the employment in and then see the whole

twenty million layouts it's comparable to follow investment program on the basis so just the way you are restructure your expenditures. in one of the recent interview you said that you read as a brand has a better image the latter in general is it really true and what do you mean. translators better but stronger that's for sure because unfortunately the name of our country with many respects. is known by people in the west in russia and connected to a crisis economical probe problems monologue about russia and also so the issue is concerning our bilateral relations so you have certainly shares concerning human rights problems so it is unfortunately weak is unfortunately we.

as a city is known for more than eight hundred years it's not exceeding. readers known as a. positive positive terms through distillation we've got lots of tourists it's numbing freezing every year and it's strong as strong it's more positive any true helps us in selling and promoting are for instance who stuff products in russia under. review bread not latin brand. one hour. the things that i guess is spoiling the image of reagan not only in russia but in europe are the annual waffen s.s. marches these former form. people who served had low joining the second world war they did these veterans veteran marches what. is that your idea of fun of the festival was a mirror of a city having the neo nazis marching in the city what's your attitude in general to

add to this. veterans but i've often asked us what terms of often assess what just a couple of persons participating in this march. march by your young or not so the young. who by some reason so want to support people this way. ninety nine percent of veterans don't participate in this events and revisit something as a commemorates. there are friends in other places usually in. politics. we've got extremely complicated a shrink. during the world war two hundred one hundred fifty thousand small forest this is what i would like to stress forced to serve in the german army it wasn't their choice they had no choice at home zone which was advised to go to concentration camp or to be diverted to the army people who have chosen to be

drafted to the army. for the last three years. didn't allows these marches on the basis of security issues we believe that these events may provide stress to security in the city in all the cases courts allowed this marxist i mean we've got extremely liberal world for all kinds of public activities. we don't have any opportunities to ban annecy. they get our decision always was it's right to security in. the event since it isn't that we ban them first it so so as a politician and as a citizen and as an ethnic russian you think that if something is allowed even a thing like that even commemorating commemorating the nazis if it's allowed if it's not against the law it should be allowed in should think now this people again . when we compare it to any kind of or with any kind of activity. there's nothing

to do we commemorate in that series you don't have any kind of that's a symbol so it was a. people believe was it's true or not true so that when they were i mean those people who fought but people who come of ratings that they believed that these people were fighting against stalin regime lots of people in our country when the events of your country lots of people in our country hate stalin regime. lost its independence russian to. russia. obviously. but it has nothing to do with nazis who this people don't like not says the people don't like not. to germany as a see them on concern because issues of security first of all because i don't want to go out of activity destroy it for instance testicle stability we've got in relations in our country you know all sitting i mean one of about a cynical relations twenty percent of us an acquaintance they've got. to do is them

which is true for russia do i get you right what you're saying is that implements that people abroad especially here in moscow they are over estimating over react it's an exaggeration just really think it's absolutely true because these people are even the hard core national is participating they have nothing to do with nazis i mean it's an open question was the people who were crucified for germany would have ever had an opportunity to fight an independent it's an issue open for his specialist but from a security point of view from the point is to build is the start of marchers for calm and the other. issue which may be. estimated in russia but it's a big issue in the russian press are those people with a non citizen status actually people who couldn't pass the exam in latin language so they have a non-citizen status they conned vote and the russians consider that those russians

in latvia they are reduced in their rights i mean that they really suffer is that true you know it's absolutely true we still have a little bit less than three hundred souls on the non-citizens. absolute majority of those people are people fifty five plus or even sixty plus. one of them about extremely simple distrust myself. and it was something like i had to answer questions about cost of the national flag to make loads of difficult but you have to understand when you are i don't sixty five you're not good in passing any kind of test so it's first of all lots of people back and many people say why should i. executives of people in the for independent blood so they believe they shouldn't pass any kind of test in order to become citizens. or for many people what is really important being non-citizens z. enjoy a visa free regime is russia so we shouldn't first brought you can fail without any

resist from the world you are stuck with it's kind of a bonus. so that's why. the number of citizens he's basically right now corresponds with the natural relate we've got to what people are just because they're old. and that's the main reason for decreasing number of noncitizens but. even as a local level is really bad and the ways people became the system is really bad as well thank you thank you very much for being with us to the point pleasure talking to you and all the best place to live just a reminder that i just found today show was. then mayor of the. capital. that's open out of all us. will be back and then it's there and take. a few.