2445 Macedonians in Albania Demand Their Rights October 23, 2001 2445 At the conference in organization of the European Council held Friday in Tirana, national minorities in Albania spoke up , demanding realization of their basic rights i.e. right to education in their mother language, right to informing as well as participation in state administrative sphere. Macedonians, Greeks, Serbs, Montenegrins, Aromanians and other minorities at the conference Friday demanded a chance to freely express their national belonging and religious affiliation at the next population census. They also requested restoration of toponyms and their personal names. Thursday and Friday in Tirana, European Council organized a seminar dedicated to the implementation of the Framework Convention on Protection of Minority Rights in Albania. This was an opportunity for national minorities to speak up , despite government efforts to silence them. After decade of democracy , the status and treatment of minorities in Albania has been perceived. In Albania , minorities count for 40% (total population 3 million). Nonetheless, they are being deprived of their elementary rights. At the seminar, members of Albanian government repeatedly attempted to control or more precisely interrupt presentation of Macedonians, Greeks, Serbs, Montenegrins, Aromanians, Roma, and Egyptians, but their efforts remain futile. As concluded at the seminar, Albanian authorities must resolve minority issues before they develop into problems. Heads of Macedonian associations in Albania "Mir" and "Prespa" - Kimet Fetahu and Edmond Temelko, Head of Greek Association "Omonia" Vangel Dule, Head of Serb- Montenegrin Association " Moraca - Morava" - Milan Vaso and others requested realization of their basic rights i.e. right to education in their mother language , right to informing as well as participation in state administrative sphere, and a chance to freely express their national belonging and religious affiliation at the next population census. Temelko and Fetahu requested ( without response from the government ) restoration of the only Macedonian radio show ( broadcast via Radio Korca until March 2001) . Minorities had also requested introduction of curriculum in mother language in Gora and Golo Brdo . Despite the significant presence of Macedonian Muslims in these areas , they are being deprived of their minority status. Rubin Zemon , Representative of Macedonian Egyptians addressed the seminar commenting on minority rights in the Balkans and Albania. The discussants mentioned several positive trends in recent years - free use of mother language in mutual communication, cherishing of folklore and traditions as well as the construction of a new school building in New Gorica.
