After the publication of the Census data in Albania, comes one from the Foreign Ministry of North Macedonia. The latter emphasizes that the data on the Macedonian minority in our country are not true.
In the official reaction, the official Skopje expresses displeasure and strongly reacts to the use of the term “Northern Macedonian”.
Announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia notes with serious concern the published preliminary results of the Population Census held in the Republic of Albania in 2023. The technical irregularities in the manner of its implementation, which have been repeatedly pointed out by Macedonian associations in the Republic of Albania on the eve of the census, but also during its implementation, have resulted in the publication of preliminary data, which unfortunately do not adequately reflect the real number of ethnic Macedonians in the country.
Likewise, the Ministry expresses dissatisfaction and strongly reacts to the use of the term “North Macedonian” and the use of the name of a country as a substitute for an ethnic community. The Ministry will call Ambassador Danço Markovski for urgent consultations in order to clarify the shortcomings and inconsistencies in this process, examining the possibilities for the proper correction of omissions and finding the most adequate ways for further joint action and the advancement of bilateral relations with the Republic of Albania.
In the future, the Ministry will cooperate intensively with the competent representatives of the authorities in the Republic of Albania and with the representatives of the Macedonian community in the Republic of Albania in terms of their cultural and social promotion within the Albanian society, which unfortunately and more than it was obviously completely neglected by the previous political structure in our country. All open issues between two neighboring states must be resolved through dialogue and mutual understanding and respect for the rules, principles and values of the international legal order.
