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{{Short description|Ethnic group in Albania}}
{{Merge|Macedonians of Albania|date=August 2011}}
{{POV|date=August 2011}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
⚫ {{Bulgarians}}
⚫ | group = Bulgarians in Albania<br />Българи в Албания
Ethnic ] in present-day ] live mostly in the areas of ]. In the 1989 census a total of 782 people claimed either Romanian, Bulgarian or Czechoslovakian nationality.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Census data from the Albanian Institute of Statistics in 1989 did not record any self identifying Bulgarians living in Albania.<ref></ref>The ] background note for Albania, dated 4 January 2011 further reported that the population is composed of various ethnic groups including Bulgarians.<ref></ref> The Encyclopaedia of the Nations in its section on Albania's ethnic groups, undated, also has included Bulgarians.<ref></ref> The ] 2011 has also counted Bulgarians in Albania.<ref></ref> The State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad states that about 40,000 to 50,000 persons of Bulgarian origin are living in Albania
| population = 7,057 (2023 census)<ref></ref>
,<ref>
| popplace =
{{cite web
| rels =
|url=http://www.omda.bg/BULG/news/Bulgaria%20news/Bulgaria_Albania.htm
| langs =
|title=Bulgarians in Albania
|publisher=www.omda.bg
|accessdate=2008-04-23
|last=
|first=
}} }}
⚫ {{Bulgarians}}
</ref> but another Bulgarian source estimates their number at about 100,000.<ref name="Grigorov">INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR MINORITY STUDIES AND INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS (IMIR)ALBANIA:LANDMARKS OF TRANSITION Valeri Grigorov p.18</ref> Most Slavic speakers in Albania were converted to ] during the centuries when the ] ruled the ].{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} There is also a lack of stable ethnic consciousness of this population who easily change their allegiance from ] to either ] or ] depending on the benefits expected.<ref name="Grigorov" />
The '''Bulgarians in Albania''' live mostly in the areas of ], ] and ]. Ethnic identity can be fluid among Albania's Slavophonic population, who might identify as ], ] or ], depending on the circumstances.<ref name="Grigorov">INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR MINORITY STUDIES AND INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS (IMIR)ALBANIA:LANDMARKS OF TRANSITION Valeri Grigorov p.18</ref> Between 2001 and 2016, around 4,470 Albanian nationals applied for a Bulgarian citizenship and over 2,600 of them were granted one.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dash for Bulgarian passports empties Albanian village|date=10 July 2017|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/215464-Dash-for-Bulgarian-passports-empties-Albanian-village |publisher=The News International|accessdate=18 October 2017}}</ref> The Bulgarian minority was recognized by the Albanian government in October 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/13/c_136675455.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013172443/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/13/c_136675455.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2017|title=Albania officially recognizes Bulgarian minority - Xinhua - English.news.cn|website=news.xinhuanet.com|accessdate=18 October 2017}}</ref> In the 2023 Albania census, 7,057 people declared themselves to be Bulgarians making them the largest Slavophone population in Albania.<ref name="Census 2023">{{cite web |publisher=] (INSTAT) |title=Population and Housing Census 2023|url=https://shqiptarja.com/uploads/ckeditor/667eb96647c4bcens-2023.pdf}}</ref>

==History== ==History==
===Middle Ages=== ===Middle Ages and Ottoman period===
].]] ].]]
] (Peter II of Bulgaria) may have included much if not most of modern Albania; one of its centres was Drach (])]]
⚫ The first reference to a ] presence in Albania dates to 548, when the Slavs reached Epidamnos (]), capturing many fortresses in the vicinity. They proceeded to settle in south Albania, particularly ] and around Durrës, from the 570s to the 9th century. According to a note in a 10th-century transcript of ]'s '']'', "Scythians-Slavs inhabit the entirety of Epirus". In addition, to the ] translation of the ] notes that the "Bulgarians filled the lands of Drach (Durrës) and beyond".<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци…'', pp. 12-13.</ref>


⚫ The first reference to a ] presence in Albania dates to 548, when the Slavs reached Epidamnos (]), capturing fortresses in the city's vicinity. Slavic settlement near Epirus in southern Albania is mentioned in a note in a 10th-century manuscript of ] '']'', and near Durrës in a ] translation of the ].<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци...'', pp. 12-13.</ref>
⚫ On the other hand, the prominent archaeologist from ] Ivan Mikulchik revealed the presence of ] archaeological culture not only throughout ], but also in eastern ].<ref>Иван Микулчиќ, , Скопjе, "Македонска цивилизациjа", 1996, стр. 29-33 / "Medieval towns and strongholds in Macedonia", Skopje, Publishing house "Macedonian civilization", 1996, p. 29-33, in Macedonian</ref> He describes the traces of ] in this region, which consist of typical fortresses, burials, various products of metallurgy and pottery (including with supposed Bulgar origin or ownership), lead seals, minted from Khan ], amulets, etc. However, part of this could actually represent traces of Avar presence. Known to have raided as far south as Macedonia, material culture of the Avars was very similar to the Bulgars.<ref>Curta</ref>


⚫ Archaeologists have suggested the existence of a ] archaeological culture in what is now modern ] and eastern ],<ref>Иван Микулчиќ, , Скопје, "Македонска цивилизација", 1996, стр. 29-33 / "Medieval towns and strongholds in Macedonia", Skopje, Publishing house "Macedonian civilization", 1996, p. 29-33, in Macedonian</ref> citing fortresses, burials, various products of metallurgy and pottery that could be of ] origin.<ref>Curta</ref>
⚫ According to ] evidence, the mass Slavic colonization of these lands was between the ] and the ]s. The Slavic placenames in this region indicate an eastern ] (i.e. Bulgarian, as opposed to ]) dialect.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци…'', pp. 15-16.</ref> Those Bulgarian Slavs were the majority of the population in the area at least in the ], but they were still a sizable population of middle and south Albania by the 15th century.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Заимов|first=Й|title=Болгарские географические названия в Албании XV века|journal=Studia balcanica|pages=179–180|language=Russian}}</ref> In the 850s and 860s, ]'s ] included the Slavic-inhabited areas of what is today western ] and south Albania to its possessions, forming the ] administrative province. This Bulgarian province included the cities of ], Glavinitsa (]), Belgrad (]) and Devoll (at the village of Zvezdë). The Bulgarian enlighteners ] and ] are known to have worked in Kutmichevitsa, where Clement had 3,500 students according to the 11th-century account of ]. Clement and Naum's activity, as well as the consolidation of Bulgarian religious and state authority, helped establish the Bulgarian identity of that Slavic population.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци…'', pp. 19-21.</ref>


⚫ According to ] evidence, Slavic settlement was concentrated in the region between the ] and ]s. Slavic placenames in this region suggest an eastern ] (i.e. Bulgarian, as opposed to ]) dialect.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци...'', pp. 15-16.</ref> Bulgarian Slavs remained a significant group in central and southern Albania through the 15th century.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Заимов|first=Й|title=Болгарские географические названия в Албании XV века|journal=Studia balcanica|pages=179–180|language=Russian}}</ref> In the 850s and 860s, ]'s ] included the Slavic-inhabited areas of what is today western ] and southern Albania, which constituted the ] administrative province. Kutmichevista included the cities of ], Glavinitsa (]), Belgrad (]) and Devoll (at the village of Zvezdë). The Bulgarian enlighteners ] and ] are known to have worked in Kutmichevitsa, where according to the 11th-century account of ], Clement had 3,500 students. Clement's and Naum's activity, as well as the consolidation of Bulgarian religious and state authority, helped establish the Bulgarian identity of this Slavic population.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци...'', pp. 19-21.</ref>{{clarify|date=December 2014}}
]) created from ], an ] from ], probably in 1770 and published in 1794? in ].<ref>Multiculturalism, alteritate, istoricitate «Multiculturalism, Historicity and “The image of the Other”» by Alexandru Niculescu, Literary Romania (România literară), issue: 32 / 2002, pages: 22,23,</ref><ref>Angeliki Konstantakopoulou, Η ελληνική γλώσσα στα Βαλκάνια 1750-1850. Το τετράγλωσσο λεξικό του Δανιήλ Μοσχοπολίτη . Ioannina 1988, 11.</ref><ref>Peyfuss, Max Demeter: Die Druckerei von Moschopolis, 1731-1769. Buchdruck und Heiligenverehrung im Erzbistum Achrida. Wien - Köln 1989. (= Wiener Archiv f. Geschichte des Slawentums u. Osteuropas. 13), ISBN 3-205-98571-0.</ref><ref>Kahl, Thede: Wurde in Moschopolis auch Bulgarisch gesprochen? In: Probleme de filologie slavă XV, Editura Universităţii de Vest, Timişoara 2007, S. 484-494, ISSN 1453-763X.</ref>]]


Much of Albania was under the rule of ] from 989-995 to 1005, when it was reconquered by the ]; during Samuel's rule, those lands were governed by ], his ] and husband of his daughter ].<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци…'', p. 24.</ref> During the Byzantine rule, a Bulgarian leader by the name of ] headed an uprising against the Byzantines near Drach; he was supported but then killed by another insurgent ], who proceeded to head the uprising and briefly rule much of Albania, Macedonia, ] and western Bulgaria.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци…'', pp. 25-26.</ref> In 1078, it was noted that the usurper Nikephoros Vassilaki, recruited an army from the localities around Drach, which consisted of "] (that came from ]), Bulgarians, Romans (i.e. ]) and Arvanites (i.e. ])"; this is the first ever reference to the Albanians in a medieval source.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци…'', pp. 26-27.</ref> From 989-995 to 1005, Albania was ruled by ]. Under Samuel's rule, the region was governed by ], his ] and the husband of his daughter ].<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци...'', p. 24.</ref> In 1005, the area was reconquered by the ]. While the area was under Byzantine rule, a Bulgarian leader named ] headed an uprising against the Byzantines near Drach; he was first supported but then killed by another insurgent, ], who proceeded to head the uprising and briefly ruled much of Albania, North Macedonia, ] and western Bulgaria.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци...'', pp. 25-26.</ref> In 1078, ] raised an army from the area surrounding Drach, consisting of "] (who came from ]), Bulgarians, Romans (i.e. ]) and Arvanites (i.e. ])"<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци...'', pp. 26-27.</ref>


The area was once again under Bulgarian control between 1231 and 1240, under ], who "routed the Greek army … and conquered the entire Greek, Albanian and Serbian land from Odrin <nowiki>]<nowiki>]</nowiki> to Drach."<ref>{{cite book|last=Malingousid|first=P|title=Die mittelalterlichen kyrillischen Inschriften der Haemus-Halbinsel. Teil I. Die bulgarischen Inschriften|location=Thessaloniki|year=1979|pages=53–59|language=German}}</ref> ], a famous medieval composer of Bulgarian descent, was born in the city in the late 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Orthodox America |url=http://www.roca.org/OA/104/104g.htm |title=St. John Kukuzelis |accessdate=2008-09-16 }}</ref> During the ] period of Albanian history (1250–1350), the Slavic population was mainly present in the cities and villages near the sea, along the ] and in the vicinity of ]. The area fell under Bulgarian rule again between 1231 and 1240, under ], who "routed the Greek army ... and conquered the entire Greek, Albanian and Serbian land from Odrin <nowiki>]<nowiki>]</nowiki> to Drach."<ref>{{cite book|last=Malingousid|first=P|title=Die mittelalterlichen kyrillischen Inschriften der Haemus-Halbinsel. Teil I. Die bulgarischen Inschriften|location=Thessaloniki|year=1979|pages=53–59|language=German}}</ref> ], a famous medieval composer of Bulgarian descent, was born in the city in the late 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Orthodox America |url=http://www.roca.org/OA/104/104g.htm |title=St. John Kukuzelis |accessdate=16 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507102527/http://www.roca.org/OA/104/104g.htm |archive-date=7 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


].]]
===Ottoman period===
In the late 14th century, ] records note a number of Bulgarians (''de genere Bulgarorum'') from south Albania being sold as slaves, indicating the Albanians may have subjugated the Slavic population, which ultimately led to its extermination, migration and assimilation.<ref>Гюзелев, ''Албанци…'', pp. 47-48.</ref>


⚫ ], in his 1820 book ''Travels in Epirus, Albania, Macedonia, and Thessaly'' described Bulgarian villages in the ] region.<ref>''...&nbsp;A league north-north-west from Gheortcha, after crossing the ] on a stone bridge, if you turn north, you enter a derven or narrow gorge of the mountain, watered by a small stream. Following it for a league and a half below the village of Panta-Vinia, are seen the remains of an acropolis, probably the site of Sation; and nearly opposite, a league to the westward, is the village Mocrena. To the northward, and below these villages, inhabited by Bulgarians, commences an open space of ground, which expands for a distance of four miles on to the lake of Ochrida or Lychnidus...''(London: Printed for Sir Richard Phillips and Co, 1820)
]<ref>„Petermanns geographischen Mitteilungen” 1915, table 44. Map by a collective of Bulgarian professors led by Prof. Anastas Ishirkov. Taken from THE BULGARIANS in their historical, ethnographical and political frontiers (Atlas with 40 maps). Preface by D. RIZOFF, Minister of Bulgaria in Berlin. BERLIN, Königliche Hoflithographie, Hof-Buch- und -Steindruckerei WILHELM GREVE, 1917. ASIN:B000UUZN4S</ref>]]
⚫ ] at the end of the eighteenth century, a Vlach-speaking native priest of ], compiled a quadrilingual lexicon of Greek, ], Bulgarian and Albanian, with the purpose of helping them to learn Greek. In this work, which was first published in 1794 and republished in 1802, Daniel writes inter alia, as follows: ''Albanians, Vlachs, Bulgarians and speakers of other tongues, rejoice and prepare yourselves one and all to become ]. Leaving behind you your barbaric tongue, speech, and customs. That shall seem as myths to your descendants.''.<ref>"The Bulgarian National Awakening and its Spread into Macedonia", by Antonios-Aimilios Tachiaos, pp. 21-23, published by Thessaloniki's Society for Macedonian Studies, 1990.]</ref> ] described in his book “Travels in Epirus, Albania, Macedonia, and Thessaly” Bulgarian villages in ] region.<ref>''... A league north-north-west from Gheortcha, after crossing the ] on a stone bridge, if you turn north, you enter a derven or narrow gorge of the mountain, watered by a small stream. Following it for a league and a half below the village of Panta-Vinia, are seen the remains of an acropolis, probably the site of Sation; and nearly opposite, a league to the westward, is the village Mocrena. To the northward, and below these villages, inhabited by Bulgarians, commences an open space of ground, which expands for a distance of four miles on to the lake of Ochrida or Lychnidus...''(London: Printed for Sir Richard Phillips and Co, 1820)
</ref> </ref>


===20th century=== ===20th century===
]
In the 1920s the orthodox Slavs living in Albania were regarded as Bulgarians by the local Albanian population.<ref>{{cite book
According to ], at the beginning of the 20th century, the Slavs constituted the majority of the population in Macedonia. Per Britannica itself, the bulk of the Slavs was regarded by almost all independent authorities as "]". The partition of the Ottoman lands of the region of Macedonia between Balkan nation-states after the ] (1912–1913) and ] (1914–1918) left this area divided. The sub-areas of Macedonia ] and ] were included in ]. According to the Albanian historian ], the Albanians also referred then to the Slavic-speakers in Albania as Bulgarians.<ref>Beqir Meta (2013) Minoritetet dhe ndërtimi kombëtar në Shqipëri 1912-1924. Qendra e Studimeve Albanologjike, Instituti i Historisë {{ISBN|9789928141156}}, pp. 112-113.</ref> Per Meta, for the first time the existence of a Bulgarian minority in Albania was officially declared by ] in the ] in 1921.<ref></ref> They were estimated as 27,000 by the Macedonian National Committee in Sofia in the 1930s.<ref>{{cite book
| last =Poulton | last =Poulton
| first =Hugh | first =Hugh
Line 44: Line 39:
| year =2000 | year =2000
| pages =79 | pages =79
| isbn =1-85065-534-0 }}</ref> In the academic year 1926/1927, the Albanian side gave permission for Bulgarian teachers to teach in the area. In 1928, some villages in the region submitted requests for opening schools with teaching in the Bulgarian language. In 1929, the position of "Chief Inspector of School Affairs in Albania" was opened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia, and it was entrusted to the activist from ] Srebren Poppetrov.<ref>Тончева, В. Изучаване на български език в Албания – история и съвременно състояние. .</ref>
| isbn =1850655340 }}</ref>
The new Albanian state did not attempt to assimilate this minority or to forcibly change the names of local towns and villages. During the second Balkan Conference in 1932 the Bulgarian and Albanian delegations signed a protocol about the recognition of the ethnic Bulgarian minority in Albania.<ref>Ташев 1994: 141-162 стр.</ref> After the ], the creation of People's Republic of Macedonia and the policy of the new ] states about the founding of ] changed the situation and an ]<ref name="see">, Albanian ] with the support of the Finnish Foundation ‘KIOS’ and “Finnish NGO
Foundation for Human Rights”</ref><ref>''Finally, Albania recognizes a Greek and a Macedonian minority'' - , Greek ]</ref> was officially recognized. Schools and radio stations in ] were founded in the area.<ref name="see" />


In 1932, Bulgaria and Albania ] regarding the recognition of the ethnic Bulgarian minority in Albania.<ref>Ташев 1994: 141-162 стр.</ref> However, it was not ratified by the Albanian side due to pressure from Yugoslavia.<ref>Боби Бобев: Албания не признаваше нашето малцинство заради натиск от Белград. </ref> The recognition would involve Albania deeper in the conflict between Sofia and Belgrade on the ]. In ], there was a ] orientation among the Slavic-speaking population and the pro-Bulgarian, paramilitary ] had its bases, from where it launched attacks into western ], Kingdom of Yugoslavia.<ref>Hugh Poulton, Who are the Macedonians? C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 1995, {{ISBN|1850652384}}, p. 79.</ref> Yugoslavia was suspicious of the recognition of a Bulgarian minority there and was concerned this would hinder its policy of forced ] in ]. It had already blocked the ratification of ].<ref>{{cite journal | first = Iakovos D. | last = Michailidis | title = Traditional Friends and Occasional Claimants: Serbian Claims in Macedonia between the Wars | journal = Balkan Studies | year = 1995 | volume = 36 | page = 112 | url = https://ojs.lib.uom.gr/index.php/BalkanStudies/article/view/2677}}.</ref> The protocol caused a negative reaction in the ]. As a result, ] was convinced that opposing Yugoslavia over this problem was not in his interest.
===After the fall of communism===

] in Albania, where Bulgarians mainly live today.]]
Albanian-Bulgarian relations deteriorated completely during 1933 because in March 150 Bulgarian families were deported from the villages of ] and ]. The Bulgarian chargé d'affaires in ] informed his government that the plan of the Albanian government was to see all Bulgarians out of the country.<ref>Milo, Paskal. "Albania and the Balkan Entente". Balkan Studies 39, no. 1 (1998): 91–122. </ref> In August 1939, a group of former IMRO revolutionaries from Albania sent a request to the ] ], who was Italian. In their request, they call on her to stand up for the rights of the Bulgarians in Albania, which was then an Italian protectorate.<ref>"Молба от българи жители на села и градове откъснати през 1912 г. от майка България", Албания, август 1939 година.</ref> The Albanian-Italian census in today's western parts of ], then part of the Albanian Kingdom, and today most eastern parts of Albania, conducted in October 1942, a total of 234,783 people living on this territory. According to the reported results for the ethnic composition of this population, the most recorded were Albanians - 61% of the total, 31% were Bulgarians and 8% were Serbs.<ref>Антон Панчев, Етнически състав на населението в Западна Македония през Втората световна война по албански официални статистики. сп. Македонски преглед, Македонски научен институт. (Anton Panchev, The Ethnical Structure of the Population in Western Macedonia in the Second World War According to Official Albanian Statistics) Language: Bulgarian; Issue: 4/2018, pp. 139-148.</ref>
Albania denies the existence of a Bulgarian minority in the Mala Prespa and Golo Bardo and ] regions.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} Other officially recognised ] in Albania include ], ] and the ] people. The Bulgarian government and some of the people in the regions in question claim that a Bulgarian minority does exist.<ref name="Grigorov" /><ref>Българите в Албания {{bg icon}}</ref> The ] World Factbook also supports the existence of the minority based on a 1989 estimate.<ref> - ]</ref> In the 1989 Albania census a total of 782 people claimed either Romanian, Czechoslovakian or Bulgarian nationality.<ref></ref>{{Dead link|date=August 2011}} In 1998 ], the then-foreign minister of Albania, gave the following answer to the minority puzzle: "After World War II, we know this minority as Macedonian. I’d rather not elaborate on why we chose this way, but the ] regime made this decision and it’s difficult for us now to change that."<ref>"The Balkans" magazine, 18 ed., 2001, p.5-7 Ibid</ref> Recent official reports from Albania have not stated that any people have identified as Bulgarian in the last census.<ref name="notrec">The Albanian statistics institute denies the existence of a Bulgarian minority in Albania. (source: ) {{mk icon}}</ref> This often led to protests from the Bulgarian Parliament.<ref name="notrec2"> - ]</ref> ], the president of the ] in Republic of Macedonia stated in an interview for Albanian newspaper ''Shekulli'' in 2006 that in his opinion the Slavic-speaking inhabitants of Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo are Bulgarians, he is known for referring to ethnic Macedonians as Bulgarians.<ref>Утрински весник Број 1402 понеделник, 16 октомври 2006. Џафери тврди дека Македонците во Голо Брдо се измислица ВИКТОР ЦВЕТАНОСКИ {{mk icon}}</ref> There exist two organisations of the Bulgarians in Albania: "Prosperitet&nbsp;— Golo Brdo".<ref>

On the other hand, in 1934 ] to the idea that the Macedonian Slavs constituted a separate nationality.<ref>Duncan Perry, "The Republic of Macedonia: finding its way" in Karen Dawisha and Bruce Parrot (eds.), Politics, power and the struggle for Democracy in South-Eastern Europe, Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 228–229.</ref> Prior to the Second World War, this view on the Macedonian issue had no practical importance. During the war, these ideas were supported by the Communist partisans in the area. After the Red Army entered the Balkans in 1944, new communist regimes came into power. In this way, their policy on the ] was to support the development of a distinct ethnic Macedonian identity. As a result, the Slavic minority in Albania was recognized in 1945 as Macedonian.<ref>Vladimir Ortakovski (2021) Minorities in the Balkans, Brill, {{ISBN|9789004478992}}, p. 321.</ref>

After the ], in 1993 the then Albanian Prime Minister ] openly claimed the presence of ethnic Bulgarians near the ].<ref>Mangalakova, Tanya; 2004; Ethnic Bulgarians in Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo. International Center for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations, Bulgaria, p. 11.</ref> In 1998 ], then the Foreign Minister of Albania, made the following statement on minorities: "After World War II, we know this minority as Macedonian. I’d rather not elaborate on why we chose this way, but the ] regime made this decision and it’s difficult for us now to change that."<ref>"The Balkans" magazine, 18 ed., 2001, p.5-7 Ibid</ref>

===21st century===
]
The Bulgarian government, academics, and local activists called for the recognition of the Bulgarian minority in the 2000s.<ref name="Grigorov" /><ref>Българите в Албания {{cite web |url=http://www.omda.bg/BULG/news/Bulgaria%20news/Bulgaria_Albania.htm |title=Българите в Албания - Голо бърдо и Гора |accessdate=2008-04-23 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504035012/http://www.omda.bg/BULG/news/Bulgaria%20news/Bulgaria_Albania.htm |archivedate=4 May 2008|language=bg}}</ref><ref name="notrec2">{{cite web|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/newsbriefs/2002/03/020307-GEORGI-008|title=Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Demands Albania Recognise Bulgarian Minority|website=Setimes.com|accessdate=18 October 2017}}</ref><ref>]. Sofia: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2008. 80&nbsp;pp. (Trilingual publication in Bulgarian, Macedonian and English) {{ISBN|978-954-92032-2-6}}</ref> Two organisations for Bulgarians in Albania exist: "Prosperitet&nbsp;— Golo Brdo"<ref>
{{cite web {{cite web
|url=http://prosperitetgolloborda.awardspace.com/ |url=http://prosperitetgolloborda.awardspace.com/
|title=Default |title=Default
|publisher=prosperitetgolloborda.awardspace.com |website=Prosperitetgolloborda.awardspace.com
|accessdate=2008-04-23 |accessdate=23 April 2008
⚫ }}</ref> and the cultural association "Ivan Vazov" in Mala Prespa.<ref>{{cite web
|last=
|first=
}}
⚫ </ref> and the cultural association "Ivan Vazov" in Mala Prespa.
<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.osservatoriobalcani.org/article/articleview/2595/1/41/ |url=http://www.osservatoriobalcani.org/article/articleview/2595/1/41/
|title=Osservatorio sui Balcani&nbsp;— Albania: le minoranze contese |title=Osservatorio sui Balcani&nbsp;— Albania: le minoranze contese
|website=Osservatoriobalcani.org
|publisher=www.osservatoriobalcani.org
|accessdate=2008-04-23 |accessdate=23 April 2008
|archive-date=19 July 2008
|last=
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719234115/http://www.osservatoriobalcani.org/article/articleview/2595/1/41/
|first=
|url-status=dead
}}
</ref> More than 800 Albanian citizens of Bulgarian descent have acquired Bulgarian passports on the grounds of having Bulgarian origin.<ref> }}</ref> More than 800 Albanian citizens of Bulgarian descent have acquired Bulgarian passports based on claims of Bulgarian origin.<ref>
{{cite web {{cite web
|url=http://www.seeurope.net/?q=node/12101 |url=http://www.seeurope.net/?q=node/12101
|title=ALBANIA: Over 800 Albanians Acquire Bulgarian Passports |title=ALBANIA: Over 800 Albanians Acquire Bulgarian Passports
|publisher=www.seeurope.net |website=Seeurope.net
|accessdate=2008-04-23 |accessdate=23 April 2008
|url-status=dead
|last=
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719014744/http://www.seeurope.net/?q=node%2F12101
|first=
|archivedate=19 July 2011
}}
</ref> According to the Macedonian authorities, the Slav minority of Albania consists only of ethnic Macedonians and not Bulgarians. In 2008, the Bulgarian government reported it had reached an agreement with the Albanian government that the next census forms in Albania would allow to count the Bulgarian community in the country.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> In 2011 Bulgaria's Finance Minister, who is charge of ties with the Bulgarian diaspora, has met with members of the Bulgarian community in Albania. He announced the future opening of a Bulgarian cultural center in Tirana.<ref></ref> }}</ref> In 2008, the Bulgarian government reported that it had reached an agreement with the Albanian government that forms in Albania's next census would allow the Bulgarian community in the country to be counted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/integration-of-immigrants-discussed-in-sofia/id_29376/catid_66|title=Kapital Quarterly|website=Sofiaecho.com|accessdate=18 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emportal.rs/en/news/region/48819.html|title=emportal.rs|website=Emportal.rs|accessdate=18 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=11|title=- Standart|website=paper.standartnews.com|accessdate=18 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018191735/http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=11|archive-date=18 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, Bulgaria's Finance Minister, who is responsible for relations with the Bulgarian diaspora, met with members of the Bulgarian community in Albania, announcing that a Bulgarian cultural center would be opened in Tirana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=128069|title=Djankov Woos Ethnic Bulgarian Community in Albania|website=Novinite.com|accessdate=18 October 2017}}</ref> On 15 February 2017, the EU parliament in its 2016 Annual Progress Report on Albania, recommended that the rights of people of Bulgarian ethnicity in the Prespa, Gollobordë, and Gora regions should be respected.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A8-2017-0023+0+DOC+XML+V0//BG|title=ДОКЛАД относно доклада на Комисията от 2016 г. относно Албания - A8-0023/2017|website=Europarl.europa.eu|accessdate=18 October 2017|language=bg}}</ref>


On 12 October 2017, the Albanian parliament recognized the Bulgarian minority in Mala Prespa, Gollobordë and Gora.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/184224/Albania+has+Recognized+the+Bulgarian+Minority+in+the+Country|title=Albania has Recognized the Bulgarian Minority in the Country|website=Novinite.com|accessdate=18 October 2017}}</ref> In the 2023 Albania census, 7,057 people declared themselves to be Bulgarians, while 2,281 declared to be ethnic Macedonians in Albania.<ref name="Census 2023">{{cite web |publisher=] (INSTAT) |title=Population and Housing Census 2023|url=https://shqiptarja.com/uploads/ckeditor/667eb96647c4bcens-2023.pdf}}</ref> Despite that, Macedonian organizations and activists deny the existence of local Bulgarians in Albania and present their Bulgarian self-determination as caused by a desire to obtain a ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/mk/%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5-%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B0%D1%82-%D0%B2%D0%BE-%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8/a-5744740|title=Македонците демантираат, во Албанија нема Бугари|date=30 June 2010|website=dw.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Results of Albanian census stir tensions in the region |url=https://www.ekathimerini.com/politics/foreign-policy/1243158/results-of-albanian-census-stir-relations-in-the-region/ |website=Kathimerini |access-date=1 August 2024 |date=4 July 2024}}</ref>
In the 1989 census a total of 782 people claimed either Romanian, Bulgarian or Czechoslovakian nationality.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} The ] background note for Albania, dated 4 January 2011 further reported that the population is composed of various ethnic groups including Bulgarians.<ref></ref> The Encyclopaedia of the Nations in its section on Albania's ethnic groups, undated, also has included Bulgarians.<ref></ref> The ] 2011 has also counted Bulgarians in Albania.<ref></ref> The State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad states that about 40,000 to 50,000 persons of Bulgarian origin are living in Albania.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.omda.bg/BULG/news/Bulgaria%20news/Bulgaria_Albania.htm
|title=Bulgarians in Albania
|publisher=www.omda.bg
|accessdate=2008-04-23
|last=
|first=
}}
</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
* ]
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==References and notes== ==References and notes==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}
* {{cite book |title=Ethnic Bulgarians in Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo |last=Mangalakova |first=Tanya |year=2004 |publisher=International Centre for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations (IMIR) |url=http://www.imir-bg.org/imir/reports/Bulgarians_in_Mala_Prespa_and_Golo_Brdo.pdf }} * {{cite book |title=Ethnic Bulgarians in Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo |last=Mangalakova |first=Tanya |year=2004 |publisher=International Centre for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations (IMIR) |url=http://www.imir-bg.org/imir/reports/Bulgarians_in_Mala_Prespa_and_Golo_Brdo.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305052039/http://www.imir-bg.org/imir/reports/Bulgarians_in_Mala_Prespa_and_Golo_Brdo.pdf |archivedate=5 March 2009}}
* {{cite book |first=Боян |last=Гюзелев |title=Албанци в Източните Балкани (Albanians in the Eastern Balkans)|publisher=Международен център за изследване на малцинствата и културните взаимодействия |location=София |year=2004 |isbn=954-8872-45-5 |language=Bulgarian }} * {{cite book |first=Боян |last=Гюзелев |title=Албанци в Източните Балкани (Albanians in the Eastern Balkans)|publisher=Международен център за изследване на малцинствата и културните взаимодействия |location=София |year=2004 |isbn=954-8872-45-5 |language=Bulgarian }}


{{Bulgarian diaspora}}
{{Ethnic groups in Albania}} {{Ethnic groups in Albania}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2011}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulgarians In Albania}}
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Latest revision as of 07:07, 5 December 2024

Ethnic group in Albania

Ethnic group
Bulgarians in Albania
Българи в Албания
Total population
7,057 (2023 census)
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The Bulgarians in Albania live mostly in the areas of Mala Prespa, Gollobordë and Gora. Ethnic identity can be fluid among Albania's Slavophonic population, who might identify as Albanian, Bulgarian or Macedonian, depending on the circumstances. Between 2001 and 2016, around 4,470 Albanian nationals applied for a Bulgarian citizenship and over 2,600 of them were granted one. The Bulgarian minority was recognized by the Albanian government in October 2017. In the 2023 Albania census, 7,057 people declared themselves to be Bulgarians making them the largest Slavophone population in Albania.

History

Middle Ages and Ottoman period

Balshi inscription.

The first reference to a Slavic presence in Albania dates to 548, when the Slavs reached Epidamnos (Durrës), capturing fortresses in the city's vicinity. Slavic settlement near Epirus in southern Albania is mentioned in a note in a 10th-century manuscript of Strabo's Geographica, and near Durrës in a Middle Bulgarian translation of the Manasses Chronicle.

Archaeologists have suggested the existence of a Bulgar archaeological culture in what is now modern North Macedonia and eastern Albania, citing fortresses, burials, various products of metallurgy and pottery that could be of Bulgar origin.

According to toponymic evidence, Slavic settlement was concentrated in the region between the Vjosë and Devoll Rivers. Slavic placenames in this region suggest an eastern South Slavic (i.e. Bulgarian, as opposed to Serbo-Croatian) dialect. Bulgarian Slavs remained a significant group in central and southern Albania through the 15th century. In the 850s and 860s, Boris I's First Bulgarian Empire included the Slavic-inhabited areas of what is today western North Macedonia and southern Albania, which constituted the Kutmichevitsa administrative province. Kutmichevista included the cities of Ohrid, Glavinitsa (Ballsh), Belgrad (Berat) and Devoll (at the village of Zvezdë). The Bulgarian enlighteners Clement of Ohrid and Naum of Preslav are known to have worked in Kutmichevitsa, where according to the 11th-century account of Theophylact of Bulgaria, Clement had 3,500 students. Clement's and Naum's activity, as well as the consolidation of Bulgarian religious and state authority, helped establish the Bulgarian identity of this Slavic population.

From 989-995 to 1005, Albania was ruled by Samuel of Bulgaria. Under Samuel's rule, the region was governed by Ivan Vladimir, his vassal and the husband of his daughter Kosara. In 1005, the area was reconquered by the Byzantine Empire. While the area was under Byzantine rule, a Bulgarian leader named Tihomir headed an uprising against the Byzantines near Drach; he was first supported but then killed by another insurgent, Peter Delyan, who proceeded to head the uprising and briefly ruled much of Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia and western Bulgaria. In 1078, Nikephoros Vassilaki raised an army from the area surrounding Drach, consisting of "Franks (who came from Italy), Bulgarians, Romans (i.e. Byzantine Greeks) and Arvanites (i.e. Albanians)"

The area fell under Bulgarian rule again between 1231 and 1240, under Ivan Asen II, who "routed the Greek army ... and conquered the entire Greek, Albanian and Serbian land from Odrin to Drach." John Kukuzelis, a famous medieval composer of Bulgarian descent, was born in the city in the late 13th century.

Ethnographic map of the Balkans in 1847 from Ami Boué.

Francois Pouqueville, in his 1820 book Travels in Epirus, Albania, Macedonia, and Thessaly described Bulgarian villages in the Devol region.

20th century

Albanian-Bulgarian Protocol from 1932 regarding the recognition of the ethnic Bulgarian minority in Albania.

According to Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 Edition, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Slavs constituted the majority of the population in Macedonia. Per Britannica itself, the bulk of the Slavs was regarded by almost all independent authorities as "Bulgarians". The partition of the Ottoman lands of the region of Macedonia between Balkan nation-states after the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and World War I (1914–1918) left this area divided. The sub-areas of Macedonia Gollobordë and Mala Prespa were included in Albania. According to the Albanian historian Beqir Meta, the Albanians also referred then to the Slavic-speakers in Albania as Bulgarians. Per Meta, for the first time the existence of a Bulgarian minority in Albania was officially declared by Fan Noli in the League of Nations in 1921. They were estimated as 27,000 by the Macedonian National Committee in Sofia in the 1930s. In the academic year 1926/1927, the Albanian side gave permission for Bulgarian teachers to teach in the area. In 1928, some villages in the region submitted requests for opening schools with teaching in the Bulgarian language. In 1929, the position of "Chief Inspector of School Affairs in Albania" was opened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia, and it was entrusted to the activist from IMRO Srebren Poppetrov.

In 1932, Bulgaria and Albania signed a protocol regarding the recognition of the ethnic Bulgarian minority in Albania. However, it was not ratified by the Albanian side due to pressure from Yugoslavia. The recognition would involve Albania deeper in the conflict between Sofia and Belgrade on the Macedonian Slavs. In Albanian Macedonia, there was a pro-Bulgarian orientation among the Slavic-speaking population and the pro-Bulgarian, paramilitary Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization had its bases, from where it launched attacks into western Vardar Macedonia, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was suspicious of the recognition of a Bulgarian minority there and was concerned this would hinder its policy of forced Serbianisation in Serbian Macedonia. It had already blocked the ratification of similar protocol with Greece. The protocol caused a negative reaction in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. As a result, King Zog was convinced that opposing Yugoslavia over this problem was not in his interest.

Albanian-Bulgarian relations deteriorated completely during 1933 because in March 150 Bulgarian families were deported from the villages of Gorna and Dolna Gorica. The Bulgarian chargé d'affaires in Tirana informed his government that the plan of the Albanian government was to see all Bulgarians out of the country. In August 1939, a group of former IMRO revolutionaries from Albania sent a request to the Bulgarian Quin Giovanna of Savoy, who was Italian. In their request, they call on her to stand up for the rights of the Bulgarians in Albania, which was then an Italian protectorate. The Albanian-Italian census in today's western parts of North Macedonia, then part of the Albanian Kingdom, and today most eastern parts of Albania, conducted in October 1942, a total of 234,783 people living on this territory. According to the reported results for the ethnic composition of this population, the most recorded were Albanians - 61% of the total, 31% were Bulgarians and 8% were Serbs.

On the other hand, in 1934 the Comintern gave its support to the idea that the Macedonian Slavs constituted a separate nationality. Prior to the Second World War, this view on the Macedonian issue had no practical importance. During the war, these ideas were supported by the Communist partisans in the area. After the Red Army entered the Balkans in 1944, new communist regimes came into power. In this way, their policy on the Macedonian Question was to support the development of a distinct ethnic Macedonian identity. As a result, the Slavic minority in Albania was recognized in 1945 as Macedonian.

After the fall of communism, in 1993 the then Albanian Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi openly claimed the presence of ethnic Bulgarians near the Lake Prespa. In 1998 Paskal Milo, then the Foreign Minister of Albania, made the following statement on minorities: "After World War II, we know this minority as Macedonian. I’d rather not elaborate on why we chose this way, but the Communist regime made this decision and it’s difficult for us now to change that."

21st century

Historical location of Slavic groups that inhabited Albania in the early 20th century.

The Bulgarian government, academics, and local activists called for the recognition of the Bulgarian minority in the 2000s. Two organisations for Bulgarians in Albania exist: "Prosperitet — Golo Brdo" and the cultural association "Ivan Vazov" in Mala Prespa. More than 800 Albanian citizens of Bulgarian descent have acquired Bulgarian passports based on claims of Bulgarian origin. In 2008, the Bulgarian government reported that it had reached an agreement with the Albanian government that forms in Albania's next census would allow the Bulgarian community in the country to be counted. In 2011, Bulgaria's Finance Minister, who is responsible for relations with the Bulgarian diaspora, met with members of the Bulgarian community in Albania, announcing that a Bulgarian cultural center would be opened in Tirana. On 15 February 2017, the EU parliament in its 2016 Annual Progress Report on Albania, recommended that the rights of people of Bulgarian ethnicity in the Prespa, Gollobordë, and Gora regions should be respected.

On 12 October 2017, the Albanian parliament recognized the Bulgarian minority in Mala Prespa, Gollobordë and Gora. In the 2023 Albania census, 7,057 people declared themselves to be Bulgarians, while 2,281 declared to be ethnic Macedonians in Albania. Despite that, Macedonian organizations and activists deny the existence of local Bulgarians in Albania and present their Bulgarian self-determination as caused by a desire to obtain a Bulgarian passport.

See also

References and notes

  1. ALBANIA POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS 2023, Tab 13. Resident population by ethnicity and sex, p. 73
  2. ^ INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR MINORITY STUDIES AND INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS (IMIR)ALBANIA:LANDMARKS OF TRANSITION Valeri Grigorov p.18
  3. "Dash for Bulgarian passports empties Albanian village". The News International. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  4. "Albania officially recognizes Bulgarian minority - Xinhua - English.news.cn". news.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Population and Housing Census 2023" (PDF). Instituti i Statistikës (INSTAT).
  6. Гюзелев, Албанци..., pp. 12-13.
  7. Иван Микулчиќ, "Средновековни градови и тврдини во Македонија", Скопје, "Македонска цивилизација", 1996, стр. 29-33 / "Medieval towns and strongholds in Macedonia", Skopje, Publishing house "Macedonian civilization", 1996, p. 29-33, in Macedonian
  8. Curta
  9. Гюзелев, Албанци..., pp. 15-16.
  10. Заимов, Й. "Болгарские географические названия в Албании XV века". Studia balcanica (in Russian): 179–180.
  11. Гюзелев, Албанци..., pp. 19-21.
  12. Гюзелев, Албанци..., p. 24.
  13. Гюзелев, Албанци..., pp. 25-26.
  14. Гюзелев, Албанци..., pp. 26-27.
  15. Malingousid, P (1979). Die mittelalterlichen kyrillischen Inschriften der Haemus-Halbinsel. Teil I. Die bulgarischen Inschriften (in German). Thessaloniki. pp. 53–59.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. "St. John Kukuzelis". Orthodox America. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  17. ... A league north-north-west from Gheortcha, after crossing the Devol on a stone bridge, if you turn north, you enter a derven or narrow gorge of the mountain, watered by a small stream. Following it for a league and a half below the village of Panta-Vinia, are seen the remains of an acropolis, probably the site of Sation; and nearly opposite, a league to the westward, is the village Mocrena. To the northward, and below these villages, inhabited by Bulgarians, commences an open space of ground, which expands for a distance of four miles on to the lake of Ochrida or Lychnidus...(London: Printed for Sir Richard Phillips and Co, 1820)
  18. Beqir Meta (2013) Minoritetet dhe ndërtimi kombëtar në Shqipëri 1912-1924. Qendra e Studimeve Albanologjike, Instituti i Historisë ISBN 9789928141156, pp. 112-113.
  19. Бюлетин "Българите на Балканите и по света", Македонски научен институт, 2023, бр. 7.
  20. Poulton, Hugh (2000). Who Are the Macedonians?. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 79. ISBN 1-85065-534-0.
  21. Тончева, В. Изучаване на български език в Албания – история и съвременно състояние. Българите в Западните Балкани – 100 години преди и след Ньой.
  22. Ташев 1994: 141-162 стр.
  23. Боби Бобев: Албания не признаваше нашето малцинство заради натиск от Белград. 16 Октомври 2017г. Kanal3.bg.
  24. Hugh Poulton, Who are the Macedonians? C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 1995, ISBN 1850652384, p. 79.
  25. Michailidis, Iakovos D. (1995). "Traditional Friends and Occasional Claimants: Serbian Claims in Macedonia between the Wars". Balkan Studies. 36: 112..
  26. Milo, Paskal. "Albania and the Balkan Entente". Balkan Studies 39, no. 1 (1998): 91–122. p. 110.
  27. "Молба от българи жители на села и градове откъснати през 1912 г. от майка България", Албания, август 1939 година.
  28. Антон Панчев, Етнически състав на населението в Западна Македония през Втората световна война по албански официални статистики. сп. Македонски преглед, Македонски научен институт. (Anton Panchev, The Ethnical Structure of the Population in Western Macedonia in the Second World War According to Official Albanian Statistics) Language: Bulgarian; Issue: 4/2018, pp. 139-148.
  29. Duncan Perry, "The Republic of Macedonia: finding its way" in Karen Dawisha and Bruce Parrot (eds.), Politics, power and the struggle for Democracy in South-Eastern Europe, Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 228–229.
  30. Vladimir Ortakovski (2021) Minorities in the Balkans, Brill, ISBN 9789004478992, p. 321.
  31. Mangalakova, Tanya; 2004; Ethnic Bulgarians in Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo. International Center for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations, Bulgaria, p. 11.
  32. "The Balkans" magazine, 18 ed., 2001, p.5-7 Ibid
  33. Българите в Албания "Българите в Албания - Голо бърдо и Гора" (in Bulgarian). Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
  34. "Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Demands Albania Recognise Bulgarian Minority". Setimes.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  35. Bulgarian Policies on the Republic of Macedonia: Recommendations on the development of good neighbourly relations following Bulgaria’s accession to the EU and in the context of NATO and EU enlargement in the Western Balkans. Sofia: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2008. 80 pp. (Trilingual publication in Bulgarian, Macedonian and English) ISBN 978-954-92032-2-6
  36. "Default". Prosperitetgolloborda.awardspace.com. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
  37. "Osservatorio sui Balcani — Albania: le minoranze contese". Osservatoriobalcani.org. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
  38. "ALBANIA: Over 800 Albanians Acquire Bulgarian Passports". Seeurope.net. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
  39. "Kapital Quarterly". Sofiaecho.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  40. "emportal.rs". Emportal.rs. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  41. "- Standart". paper.standartnews.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  42. "Djankov Woos Ethnic Bulgarian Community in Albania". Novinite.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  43. "ДОКЛАД относно доклада на Комисията от 2016 г. относно Албания - A8-0023/2017". Europarl.europa.eu (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  44. "Albania has Recognized the Bulgarian Minority in the Country". Novinite.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  45. "Македонците демантираат, во Албанија нема Бугари". dw.com. 30 June 2010.
  46. "Results of Albanian census stir tensions in the region". Kathimerini. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  • Mangalakova, Tanya (2004). Ethnic Bulgarians in Mala Prespa and Golo Brdo (PDF). International Centre for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations (IMIR). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2009.
  • Гюзелев, Боян (2004). Албанци в Източните Балкани (Albanians in the Eastern Balkans) (in Bulgarian). София: Международен център за изследване на малцинствата и културните взаимодействия. ISBN 954-8872-45-5.
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