Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | March 20, 2017
Bulgaria: EP Adopts Resolution on Bulgarians in Albania
A month ago, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Albania, which included a text, put forward by Bulgarian MEPs Andrey Kovatchev and Angel Dzhambazki, reaffirming the rights of the Bulgarian population in Mala Prespa, Golo Brdo and Gora.
There are several officially recognized minorities in Albania, among them a Macedonian minority. There are no recent data exactly how many people of Bulgarian origin live there.
The adoption of the resolution in question by the European Parliament did not make waves or cause particular interest in Albanian society. On the whole, it is fairly tolerant of the self-awareness declared by its members. What the Albanian authorities actually have done when the Bulgarian side has raised the issue in recent years, is to ask for clarification on the positions between Skopje and Sofia, stating they are willing to recognize the right of anyone declaring a different ethnicity. And as political accord between the two capitals is hardly likely to occur any time soon, we can look to the people living in the regions in question to find out what they think.
And while Sofia and Skopje have not been finding a way to divide up the minority in Albania, the demographic processes are going full steam ahead, decidedly not to the benefit of the preservation of the small, distinctive communities, their language, culture or traditions. And because they are so difficult of access, their population has been dwindling more and more.
No comments:
Post a Comment