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17 years since the founding of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana

This year marks 17 years since the founding of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana. The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana was founded on 6 February 2009 and registered in Tirana, with the aim of protecting the ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious, and historical identity of the Macedonian National Minority in the Republic of Albania.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana in these 17 years has paid special attention to the Macedonians in the area of Golo Brdo, Prespa, Gora, and Vernik.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana has also given special importance to the publication of the Macedonian newspaper “Ilinden”, which in addition to the printed version also has an electronic edition. The Macedonian newspaper “Ilinden” was published in March 2011 in Tirana, it is the newspaper of the Macedonian association “Ilinden”-Tirana and the only newspaper of Macedonians in the Republic of Albania that is published in printed and electronic form. The Macedonian newspaper “Ilinden” produces and broadcasts information in the Macedonian language. The Macedonian newspaper “Ilinden” is standardized with ISSN 2522-6282 according to international norms. The Macedonian newspaper “Ilinden” is part of the three news aggregators time.mk, grid.mk, daily.mk and vesti.mk. The Macedonian newspaper “Ilinden” is a member of the Alliance for Ethical Media (AEM) platform, where 29 print and audiovisual media in the Republic of Albania are members.

The long-term presence of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana in the European Federal Union of Minorities and other international organizations showed the need to appoint the International Coordinator of the Macedonian association “Ilinden”-Tirana, which was realized in 2023.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana for a period of 17 years has held countless meetings with many state institutions in the executive and local government and we have expanded cooperation with the non-governmental sector, both domestically and abroad.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana has been a member of the Federal Union of European Minorities since 16 May 2015 and is part of the Slavic Minorities Working Group at FUEN. As an active participant in FUEN, the members of the Association have so far participated in all congresses and submitted resolutions, the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana contributes as an equal member and a strong voice of the Macedonian National Minority in the Federal Union of European Minorities.

This year, for the first time in the Republic of Albania, the Macedonian Association “Ilinden” – Tirana will be the organizer and host of the seminar of the Working Group of Slavic Minorities (AGSM) at the European Federal Union of Minorities, an activity that is held every year in a different region with a Slavic minority in Europe, is a great honor and certainly an appreciation of the activity of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden” and historical for Macedonians in the Republic of Albania.

In these 17 years, as the president of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden” – Tirana, together with my colleagues, we had the opportunity to make numerous working and official visits, to meet and cooperate with government institutions in the Republic of Albania and in the mother country, the Republic of Macedonia, as well as with international organizations.

During all the meetings held with representatives of state institutions in the Republic of Albania, as well as in the mother country of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as European institutions, we have used every opportunity to exchange views on important issues for the advancement of the position and rights of the Macedonian National Minority in the Republic of Albania. Although we do not always find a common or satisfactory solution to a particular problem, I again express my due gratitude to all state institutions in the Republic of Albania and in the mother country of the Republic of Macedonia.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana remains committed to the protection of the Macedonian National Minority in the Republic of Albania, for the advancement of the position and rights of Macedonians based on the basic principle of international law of equal sovereignty.

In honor of the 17th anniversary of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana, I would like to call on all state institutions as well as all political parties and the non-governmental sector in the Republic of Albania as well as in the mother country, the Republic of Macedonia, to provide continuous support for resolving the bitter problems that continue to concern Macedonians in the Republic of Albania and to prevent assimilation by Bulgaria.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana calls on the institutions in the Republic of Albania to take concrete measures for the protection of the Macedonian identity and the Macedonian cultural heritage.

I would like to express a special gratitude to all those who helped the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana in these 17 years.

May the years of work of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana be multiplied and let history tell of its achievements.

Macedonians in the Republic of Albania and Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia are the bridge of brotherhood and friendship between the two peoples and the two countries.

Long live the Macedonians in the Republic of Albania! Long live the Albanian – Macedonian friendship!

With respect,

Nikolla Gjurgjaj

President of the Macedonian Association ‘’Ilinden”-Tirana

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana appeals for urgent intervention on the road connecting Albania with Macedonia at the Trebisht-Xhepisht border point, Golo Brdo area

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana calls on the Municipality of Bulqiza and the Trebisht Administrative Unit to urgently remove the landslide on the road connecting the Trebisht-Xhepisht border point, in the Golo Brdo area, with Macedonia.

The blockage makes the daily movement of the population difficult and disrupts communication between the two sides of the border. The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana calls for rapid intervention and ensuring safe and unhindered traffic.

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana
President Nikolla Gjurgjaj

Coordinator of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana for the Golo Brdo area, Fatri Fetahu

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana supports the lawsuit of the Alliance of Macedonians for European Integration against the migrant centers in the Municipality of Pustec

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana expresses its full support for the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration (MAEI) regarding the lawsuit filed at the Administrative Court in Tirana against the Government’s decision to open three migrant centers in the territory of the Municipality of Pustec.

The Association assesses that this decision was taken without consultations with the local community, without public debate and without respecting the rights and interests of the Macedonian National Minority in Pustec.

Such an approach contradicts the principles of local self-government, democratic participation and protection of the rights of national minorities.

The Municipality of Pustec, as an area where the Macedonian national minority lives, should be treated with special care and in accordance with international standards for the protection of minority rights.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana calls on the Government of the Republic of Albania to reconsider this decision and guarantee a transparent and inclusive process, with the active involvement of the local community.

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana
President Nikolla Gjurgjaj

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana will not remain silent before Bulgarian manipulations

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana rejects as unfounded and tendentious the accusations made in the propaganda show “Studio Actualno Balkan” and the guest Ervis Taluri, representative of the so-called Bulgarian-Albanian Friendship Association, a structure that has long had nothing in common with friendship, but with manipulation, assimilation and crime.

This is a classic media manipulation aimed at silencing Macedonian activists in the Republic of Albania.

In the propaganda show “Studio Actualno Balkan”, Ervis Taluri, representative of the so-called Bulgarian-Albanian Friendship Association, directly attacks the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration and its president. These shows represent a continuation of Bulgaria’s long-standing policy of denying the Macedonian nation and Macedonian identity.

Ervis Taluri, born and raised in Albania, by an Albanian father and a Macedonian mother, after an education financed and organized by the Bulgarian state from high school to doctoral studies, returns to Albania as an “expert” on the Bulgarian minority, with the task of denying Macedonians, attacking the Macedonian party and relativizing the truth.

Such a policy, which uses methods from the 19th century, is contrary to European values and fundamental human rights.

But the public should know that behind this propaganda lies a well-organized mechanism.

The Bulgarian-Albanian Friendship Association has been linked for years to the Bulgarian passport business, where Albanian citizens are charged thousands of euros for “certification of origin”, fake certificates and mediation.

This criminal model is no secret; there have been arrests for it in both Bulgaria and Albania, and some of the people involved have ended up on international blacklists.

Despite the pressures we constantly face – through various methods, the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana will continue to fight resolutely against the denial of Macedonian identity by Bulgarian-orchestrated structures, both in Albania and in European institutions.

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana
President Nikolla Gjurgjaj

Postcard “Farewell from Prespa” dedicated to the Prespa region has been published

The first postcard “Farewell from Prespa” dedicated to the Prespa region has been published. It contains 8 photographs of the villages of this region, an important contribution to the preservation and promotion of the Macedonian cultural heritage, which is the authorial work of Nikolla Gjurgjaj, president of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana and editor-in-chief of the Macedonian Newspaper “Ilinden”.

This publication was printed with the financial support of the Gjurgjaj family.

The postcard will be distributed throughout the Republic of Albania, representing an important contribution to the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of the Macedonians in the Republic of Albania.

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana is against the opening of centers for migrants in the Municipality of Pustec, Prespa area

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana urgently requests from the Government the withdrawal of the decision to open three reception centers for migrants in the territory of the Municipality of Pustec, in the Prespa area, respectively in the village of Zrnosko, in the sports fields in Pustec and in the village of Dolna Gorica.

This decision stems from the normative act “On the Approval of the National Emergency Plan for Mixed Migration Flows 2026–2028”, published in the Official Gazette, according to which, in case of crisis, for the management of migratory flows, the establishment of 20 reception centers for migrants in the territory of the Republic of Albania is foreseen over the next two years.

These centers are planned for migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, who use the Republic of Albania as a transit country to the European Union.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana fully supports the request of the Alliance of Macedonians for European Integration (AMIE) to stop the opening of three reception centers for migrants on the territory of the Municipality of Pustec.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana condemns the fact that this decision was taken without any public consultation with the Macedonian community in the Municipality of Pustec, without dialogue with local stakeholders, which seriously violates the principles of local self-government, transparency and participatory democracy.

We emphasize that the construction of the reception centers is located on the shore of Lake Prespa, while the entire territory of the Municipality of Pustec is part of the Prespa National Park, a protected area of particular ecological, cultural and tourist importance. Furthermore, the Municipality of Pustec has been declared a tourist area, while the village of Zrnosko has been included by the Albanian government itself in the program of 100 tourist villages.

Macedonians in Prespa do not require reception centers for migrants, but concrete investments in infrastructure, tourism, agriculture and sustainable development, in order for the Prespa area to become a real tourist destination and to stop the process of depopulation of the area.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana requests from the Government the immediate removal of the Municipality of Pustec from the map foreseen for the establishment of reception centers for migrants, the planning and implementation of concrete investments in infrastructure and local development, taking into account the fact that the Prespa area has been neglected for the last 35 years.

The decision is a direct violation of Article 16 of Law No. 96/2017 “On the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Albania”, which strictly prohibits the taking of state measures that change or aim to change the demographic composition of local self-government units inhabited by National Minorities.

The establishment of reception centers for migrants in a municipality with an indigenous Macedonian population is a demographic intervention with long-term consequences, which seriously threatens the survival, identity and sustainability of the community, and at the same time will have a negative impact on the development of tourism in the Prespa area.

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana
President Nikolla Gjurgjaj

The President of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana, Nikolla Gjurgjaj, presented the “Ilinden” Certificate of Gratitude to the Ombudsman Institution

The President of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana, Nikolla Gjurgjaj, presented the “Ilinden” Certificate of Gratitude to the Ombudsman Institution of the Republic of Albania.

The “Ilinden” Certificate of Gratitude for the year 2025 was awarded to the Ombudsman Institution of the Republic of Albania for the efforts and support it provides to Macedonians in the Republic of Albania, as well as for the support of the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana.

It was a great honor for me, on behalf of the association and the Macedonian National Minority in the Republic of Albania, to personally present the “Ilinden” Certificate of Gratitude. The meeting was attended by Endrit Shabani, the Ombudsman, the Secretary General of the Ombudsman, Mr. Fatbardh Zenelaj and Ms. Vilma Shurdha, Commissioner of the General Department.

I introduced the Ombudsman to the work and current activities of the association, special emphasis in the conversation was placed on key issues for Macedonians in the Republic of Albania.

Heartfelt gratitude to the Ombudsman for his unstinting support and encouraging words, which give us strength and motivation to continue our fight for the preservation of the Macedonian language, identity and culture.

Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana appeals for caution due to deteriorating weather conditions

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana, informs the public that the country is facing deteriorating weather conditions, accompanied by intense rain and snow, strong winds, as well as the risk of flooding and landslides.

In this situation, the Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana calls on citizens to show maximum caution and take the necessary measures to avoid risks by:

• avoiding unnecessary movements, especially in endangered areas;

• respecting road traffic rules and instructions from relevant authorities;

• carefully following official announcements and information from responsible institutions and emergency structures.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana appeals for cooperation and civic responsibility, in order to minimize possible consequences and protect the lives and safety of citizens.

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana

Merry Christmas

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana, wishes you the great Christian holiday of Christmas. Merry Christmas and many years to come.

Christ was born!
Truly he was born!

The Macedonian Association “Ilinden”-Tirana
President Nikolla Gjurgjaj

Congratulations on the occasion of St. Naum of Ohrid from the Macedonian Association “ilinden”-Tirana

On the occasion of the feast of St. Naum of Ohrid, the Macedonian Association “ilinden”-Tirana extends sincere congratulations to all Macedonians in Albania, Macedonia and around the world.

St. Naum of Ohrid, as a great healer, enlightener and spiritual pillar of the Macedonian people, represents a lasting value and inspiration for the preservation of our faith, culture and national identity.

May this bright holiday encourage us towards unity, spiritual strength and respect for the Macedonian cultural and historical heritage.