site.btaMickoski Comments Albanian Census: Bulgaria Used Vacuum Left by Previous Skopje Government

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Thursday that Bulgarian propaganda in Albania dominates "the vacuum left by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia and the Democratic Union for Integration". He was asked by the press to comment the results of the Albanian national census during a visit to the town of Gevgelija.

The census results showed that 7,057 people identify themselves as Bulgarians and 2,281 identified as Macedonians, a decrease from the 5,512 recorded in the 2011 Albanian census.

"Not only does our eastern neighbour’s assimilationist policy impact Macedonians, but it also affects a significant Bulgarian population in Albania, which is three times larger than that in North Macedonia. Given this, it would be intriguing to see if they (Bulgarians in Albania) will seek constitutional recognition, particularly as the local Albanians are advocating for the same. Otherwise, I fail to see how it makes sense," Mickoski said.

The 2023 census is the first since Albania acknowledged its Bulgarian minority in 2017.

Mickoski said that the Republic of North Macedonia will no longer "leave a vacuum". He announced a future visit to Albania to engage with the Macedonian minority, aiming to rekindle their "confidence in their roots, their Macedonian anthropology, and language". He assured that the North Macedonian government is committed to their protection.

In response to comments from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev regarding the Skopje's need for improvement on EU accession efforts, Mickoski said that even though people often underestimate him, he always wins in the end.