The only Macedonian party in Albania, the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (MAEI) sent a letter to the Ombudsman of Albania, in which it “expresses deep disappointment in the response to the letters expressing concern regarding the population census.”
We are writing to you, the letter said, to express our deep disappointment in your esteemed office’s response to the concerns we expressed in our previous letters regarding the census process in Albania and Bulgaria’s disturbing efforts to assimilate the Macedonian minority.
“As staunch advocates for the rights of Macedonians living in Albania, we have proactively engaged in bringing attention to the troubling issues surrounding the census in our country. “Unfortunately, despite our constant efforts to point out the threats, pressures and unethical practices faced by the Macedonian minority, the response from the Albanian institutions has been alarmingly lacking in both action and responsibility,” the letter states.
It is noted that before the start of the census and during the census period, we responded not only to the domestic authorities, but also to the foreign embassies in Albania, alerting them to “the pressure exerted by the Bulgarian embassy in Tirana and extremist groups from Bulgaria”.
These pressures, MAEI concluded, combined with “the apparent inaction of the Albanian institutions, seriously hindered the basic right of the Macedonian minority to freely participate in the census and to express their identity without fear or coercion”.
“We expected a more decisive attitude and proactive measures from the Albanian institutions to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens of Macedonian origin. However, the reality is that these concerns of ours have been met with silence or, even worse, with cooperation in activities that further Bulgaria’s assimilationist goals towards the Macedonian minority. While we recognize the independence of your office, we find it surprising that the response we received considers this matter outside your jurisdiction due to its diplomatic nature, and your response came after the census process was completed and two months after our first letter. In our letters, serious accusations against the Albanian institutions were clearly highlighted, which remained unaddressed, even though they were in the sphere of your jurisdiction,” the letter continues.
It is pointed out that in the letters, the party reacted and demanded in the Pustec municipality that all residents who live on the territory of the municipality and who were physically present here be listed, that they cited special cases in the municipality of Pustec where residents who were physically present were not enumerated and were excluded from the census, as well as examples of residents who did not contact and who were not enumerated even though they are councilors in the Council of the Municipality of Pustec or have registered a business in the territory of they pay taxes to the municipality.
“Although the census in Albania has ended and in our letters we demanded that substantial measures be taken by the Albanian institutions to protect the rights of the Macedonian minority to freely express their identity during the census, we ask you to take proactive measures within your powers, to re-examine our letters and check our great concern on these essential matters. The integrity of the census process and the protection of the rights of minorities are of essential importance for the inclusiveness and democratic values that Albania strives to maintain on its way to European integration,” reads the letter signed by President Vasil Sterjovski.
Otherwise, in the answer of the People’s Advocate it is stated, among other things, that “the concrete issue is outside the jurisdiction and competence of the People’s Advocate”.
However, it is added that as an institution “we will continue to express our commitment to the respect and protection of the identity rights of national minorities within the framework of international human rights standards, as well as express our readiness for cooperation and continuous contribution in this direction”.