The 'Bulgarianisation' of the census, Albania like a rag grabs the neighbors

The first two days of the population census process in the country were enough to understand that Albania has turned into a booty where the neighbors have flocked to enlarge the minority minorities as much as possible, even where they don't have any.

In Pustec, where Albania recognizes Macedonians as a minority, the Bulgarian ambassador in Tirana stopped. Officially, the purpose of the visit was to help the health center of the small Albanian municipality. Unofficially, along with the aid, he also imported the Bulgarian-Macedonian ethnic conflict.

The Bulgarian offensive started with the visit of Vice President Ilana Iotova to Albania. After meetings with Albanian officials, she also stopped in Elbasan. Here she emphasized the 'potential of Elbasan' to become, according to her, the epicenter of Bulgarianism in Albania.

Until 2017, Albania did not recognize a Bulgarian minority. Things changed that year with the adoption of the new law on national minorities, where the number of minorities from 8 became nine. The Bulgarians were the ones who were added.

The change in the law was preceded by an aggressive Bulgarian campaign in Albania, initially focused on Pustec and the deep areas of Librazhd to identify as Bulgarian ethnic communities known as Slavo-Macedonians.

But the campaign did not stop only with the Macedonians. Bulgaria artificially expanded its minority in Albania through the scheme of granting passports to Albanians as well. Lured by a passport of an EU member state, many Albanians became Bulgarians. The dimensions of the phenomenon will be learned only at the end of the census, where no one has to be surprised if the Bulgarians will emerge as the second largest minority in Albania, after the Greeks.

The only obstacle is a fine if a nationality other than that registered in the national civil status register is declared.

In addition to the Bulgarians, the Greeks have also gone on the offensive, sometimes through social networks, sometimes through field visits. The goal is to declare as many Albanian citizens of Greek nationality as possible. The Greek nationalist circles have also invited the Wallachians to declare themselves Greek, inviting them not to fall prey to Romanian propaganda, as they are Greek.

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