2024-06-29 23:53:04
“Sudden decline: Variety of Macedonians in Albania halved after census – assimilation led to creation of Bulgarian minority”, “Macedonians in Albania halved, Bulgarians had been additionally registered for the primary time”, “Extra Bulgarians than Macedonians in Albania: shocking outcomes of the census among the many neighbors”, “Bulgarian propaganda and the issuing of passports in Albania gave outcomes, for the primary time extra Bulgarians than Macedonians had been registered” – these are among the headlines with which the media within the Republic of North Macedonia reported the outcomes of the inhabitants census in Albania, which had been introduced at the moment.
The media within the nation informs that the celebration in Albania “Macedonian Alliance for European Integration” doesn’t acknowledge the outcomes of the census, which occurred in 2023.
The rationale for the response of the chairman of the celebration in Korča, Vasil Sterovski, is the decreased variety of individuals registered within the census in Albania within the column “Macedonians” – 2281, in comparison with 5512 from the census in 2011. Within the census that occurred final yr in Albania, 7,057 residents outlined themselves as Bulgarians, and in keeping with Sterovski, quoted by a big a part of the media in North Macedonia, the rationale for that is “the stress from Bulgaria on the Macedonians to register as Bulgarians and the situation for acquiring Bulgarian passports” and that Albania has acknowledged the “non-existent Bulgarian minority”.
“The way in which the census was performed final yr and the gathering of ethnicity knowledge was finished with quite a few course of violations. One of many issues we had within the interval earlier than the beginning of the census, in addition to in the course of the census, is the stress from Bulgaria to declare the Macedonian minority as Bulgarian. This push got here after Albania’s recognition in 2017 of a non-existent Bulgarian minority inside its borders following Bulgaria’s menace to veto (Albania’s) European path. Albania’s membership within the European Union is a strategic determination of our nation, in addition to a request of Albanian residents, no matter their ethnicity. The Macedonian group within the Republic of Albania can’t be collateral harm on Albania’s path to European membership,” stated Sterovski to the media from North Macedonia, which has despatched groups to Albania, BTA reviews.
Sterovski claims that the Albanian establishments didn’t take any measures, however brazenly helped the Bulgarian authorities.
“Earlier than the beginning of the census, but additionally in the course of the census, within the area of Prespa, Gora and Golo Bardo, the place the Macedonian minority lives, representatives of the Bulgarian establishments got here, who donated numerous aids, but additionally made propaganda for the residents to declare themselves as Bulgarians , for which they are going to be supplied with Bulgarian passports. Individuals from the Macedonian group who’ve utilized for Bulgarian passports and are within the strategy of acquiring a passport, each earlier than the beginning of the census and in the course of the census, have been contacted by the Bulgarian embassy and passport brokers to declare themselves as Bulgarians with the menace , that in any other case they won’t get their passports”, stated Sterovski in his speech, who insisted on conducting a brand new census, “primarily based on worldwide requirements and underneath worldwide supervision”, which “will replicate the ethnic actuality of Albania”.