Post-soviet States' De Jure Accommodation of the Russophone Minority: a Comparative Analysis of Latvia, Lithuania, and Moldova

The present study explores a selected group of post- Soviet states and their de jure accommodation of the Russian-speaking minority residing on their territory. More specifically the study aims to categorize the titular states of Latvia, Lithuania and Moldova in terms of their national legal framework pertaining to minorities along the continuum inclusive ? moderate ? exclusive. Furthermore, the present study analyses to what degree external factors such as Russian immigration in the Soviet period; Russia's near abroad policy towards the successor states; and the European organisations strategies and mechanisms for promoting and protecting minority rights have influenced the former Soviet countries' minority policy between 1991 and 2004. The general findings are that it is the interaction between several factors and not the single of effect each factor which have had an effect on the titular state's de jure accommodation policy towards the Russian- speaking minority ? and particularly the interrelation between the size of the Russian- speaking minority and the titular state's relation with Russia on the hand and the EU/NATO on the other.