Macedonian Human Rights Movement International
The Macedonian Association "Ilinden” in Tirana - Press Release

Macedonian Association ”Ilinden” - Tirana
183 "Mihail Grameno” St, Tirana
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File No: 481/2017
Tirana, 24.05.2017



PRESS RELEASE

The Macedonian Association "Ilinden” in Tirana, in its capacity as a member of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), exercised its right to submit a resolution on the rights of the Macedonians in the Republic of Albania to the sixty-second Congress of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) which was held in Kluj-Napoka, Republic of Romania from 17-21 May 2017. The resolution was unanimously adopted by all delegates of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) and will be forwarded to the Government of the Republic of Albania and all relevant international institutions. It is our pleasure to announce that this is the second time that such a resolution dealing with the rights of the Macedonian national minority has been submitted to the abovementioned bodies and government by the Macedonian Association from Tirana, the first one being in 2016.

The Resolution consists of seven points which demand the following:

1. That the Government of the Republic of Albania sign and ratify the European Charter of the Council of Europe "On Regional and Minority Languages”.

2. That the Macedonian minority in Golo Brdo, Gora and throughout the whole of Albania be officially recognised.

3. That the state television station (TBSH) broadcast programmes in the Macedonian language.

4. That the maternal Macedonian language be allowed to be learnt in state schools in the regions of Golo Brdo and Gora, as well as throughout the whole of Albania where a significant number of persons belonging to the Macedonian national minority reside.

5. The Macedonian national minority in the regions of Golo Brdo and Gora considers that the municipal administrative reorganisation carried out in 2015 is a retrograde step which does not respect the rights of the Macedonian minority in those regions. Before it began to implement its new municipal administrative reorganisation, the Government of the Republic of Albania tried to convince people that the municipalities in which minorities live would not disappear. However the opposite occurred. Previously in Golo Brdo there were three municipalities, as well as three in Gora. At the time of the administrative municipal reorganisation of 1913, the municipalities of Golo Brdo and Gora were in separate administrative units. The administrative division carried out in 2015 did not satisfy even one of the criteria which the government laid out; namely those demographic, geographic, economic and cultural criteria which are quite specific in these regions as they are populated by the Macedonian national minority. The demise of the municipalities in Golo Brdo and Gora has made life significantly more difficult for the inhabitants of those regions who now need to travel two hours to obtain a simple document. The Macedonian Association in Tirana and the Macedonian national minority in Albania demand that a single municipality bearing the name Municipality of Golo Brdo and Gora be formed out of the three that previously exited in each of those districts.

6. That in all those municipalities where the Macedonian national minority numbers more than 20 %, the Macedonian language should be in official use together with the Albanian language. The Government should guarantee the right of the Macedonia national minority to use its mother tongue.

7. That the Ministry of Culture provide financial support for the cultural and educational activities of the Macedonian national minority in Albania.

Representatives of 50 associations and 300 delegates from more than 30 minorities from 30 countries in Europe as well as 50 journalists attended the Congress.

Macedonian Association "Ilinden” - Tirana
President: Nikola Gjurgjaj