After the start of the population census in Pustec municipality in Albania, the chairman of the foundation of the Bulgarian organization "Macedonia", Viktor Stojanov, reacted through a post on Facebook saying that if the residents are not registered as ethnic Bulgarians in the census, their Bulgarian passports will to withdraw immediately and that all other processes such as the granting of citizenship will be stopped.
"To all residents of the municipality of Pustec, Albania: If you do not register now as ethnic Bulgarians in the census, your Bulgarian citizenship will be revoked as soon as possible and that if you are in the process of being granted citizenship, the procedures will be stopped immediately. We already have such a case. Think about this", stated Viktor Stojanov, the chairman of the foundation of the Bulgarian organization "Macedonia", Shenja television reports.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of this week, when the registration procedure began in Albania, the "Macedonia" foundation, through a post on the Facebook social network, called on the inhabitants of Albania not to overlook their ethnicity and to register as ethnic Bulgarians.
"Appeal from the Macedonia Foundation for Bulgarians in Albania - register as ethnic Bulgarians, with Bulgarian as their mother tongue. We also remind those who have Bulgarian citizenship that they are obliged to Bulgaria to write themselves as Bulgarians, just like the Bulgarians of origin and who wish to receive Bulgarian citizenship in the future, to write themselves as ethnic Bulgarians and not to ignore the question of belonging at any time ethnic", declared the Foundation of the Bulgarian organization "Macedonia".
The organization also adds that their representatives will stay in Albania until the end of the registration.
During the population census, the vice president of Bulgaria, Iliana Jotova, was visiting Albania for a few days during which she visited the villages of Golemo Ostreni and Golo Bordo, which are inhabited mostly by the Macedonian population.
After the news of the visit of the Bulgarian vice-president, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, commented on her visit saying that the country has received guarantees from the Albanian authorities and that the registration will be done in accordance with the world and Eurostat standards.