site.btaEthnic Bulgarians in Kosovo Insist on Official Recognition of Bulgarian Community

Brussels, May 30 (BTA) - Some 500 ethnic Bulgarians living in Kovoso have submitted a petition to this country's parliament insisting on the official recognition of the Bulgarian community, the GERB/EPP press service in the European Parliament said Wednesday.

The petition, signed by ethnic Bulgarians living in the regions of Gora and Zupa, has been presented officially to the Kosovar authorities by the United Bulgarians in Kosovo from Gora organization. The Assembly of Kosovo is expected to review it soon and adopt a decision on whether the Bulgarian community should be added to those officially recognized in the country.

MEP Andrey Kovatchev (GERB/EPP), who has been working on the topic for a long time and who earlier this month talked with Kosovo's Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Assembly President, described the petition's submission as historic. In his words, should this just and democratic act be taken into view, this would show that Kosovo's political elite is willing to observe the democratic principles and follow the path to EU integration.

If recognized as an official community, ethnic Bulgarians will have the same rights as all other Kosovar citizens: they will have the right to self-identify as Bulgarians and, if they so wish, to receive Bulgarian passports; they will also have the right to their own media, education in Bulgarian, and political representation, Kovatchev explained.

The Bulgarian MEP expressed the belief that after the historic success of getting the Bulgarian minority in Albania recognized last year, a similar success will soon be achieved in Kosovo.