Albania: Difference between revisions

Albania recognizes nine national or cultural minorities: [[Greeks|Greek]], [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonian]], [[Vlachs|Wallachian]], [[Montenegrins|Montenegrin]], [[Serbs|Serb]], [[Romani people|Roma]], [[Egyptians (Balkans)|Egyptian]], [[Bosnians|Bosnian]] and [[Bulgarians|Bulgarian]] peoples.<ref>{{cite news|last1=staff|title=Albania has Recognized the Bulgarian Minority in the Country|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/184224/Albania+has+Recognized+the+Bulgarian+Minority+in+the+Country|accessdate=4 December 2017|work=novinite.com|agency=Sofia News Agency|date=12 October 2017}}</ref> Other Albanian minorities are [[Gorani people|Gorani]], [[Aromanians]] and [[Jew]]s.<ref>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,COUNTRYPROF,ALB,,4954cdfe1a,0.html |title=World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples&nbsp;– Albania : Overview |publisher=UNHCR |date=11 May 2005 |accessdate=5 May 2013}}</ref> Regarding the Greeks, "it is difficult to know how many Greeks there are in Albania". The estimates vary between 60,000 and 300,000 ethnic Greeks in Albania. The 300,000 mark is supported by Greek government as well.<ref name="RFE/RL Research Report: Weekly Analyses from the RFE/RL Research Institute">{{cite book|title=RFE/RL Research Report: Weekly Analyses from the RFE/RL Research Institute|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RxgkAQAAIAAJ|accessdate=22 December 2012|year=1993|publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Incorporated|quote=Albanian officials alleged that the priest was promoting irredentist sentiments among Albania's Greek minority&nbsp;– estimated at between 60,000 and 300,000.}}</ref><ref name="BideleuxJeffries2006">{{cite book|author1=Robert Bideleux|author2=Ian Jeffries|title=The Balkans: A Post-Communist History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jrHOKsU9pEC&pg=PA49|accessdate=6 September 2013|date=15 November 2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-203-96911-3|page=49|quote=The Albanian government claimed that there were only 60,000, based on the biased 1989 census, whereas the Greek government claimed that there were upwards of 300,000. Most Western estimates were around the 200,000 mark&nbsp;...}}</ref><ref name="Ramet1998">{{cite book|author=Sabrina P. Ramet|title=Nihil Obstat: Religion, Politics, and Social Change in East-Central Europe and Russia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZvMi6paTOlcC&pg=PA222|accessdate=6 September 2013|year=1998|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0-8223-2070-8|page=222|quote=that between 250,000 and 300,000 Orthodox Greeks reside in Albania}}</ref><ref name="Jeffries2002">{{cite book|author=Ian Jeffries|title=Eastern Europe at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century: A Guide to the Economies in Transition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L7PBtDujYt0C&pg=PA69|accessdate=6 September 2013|year=2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-23671-3|page=69|quote=It is difficult to know how many ethnic Greeks there are in Albania. The Greek government, it is typically claimed, says that there are around 300,000 ethnic Greeks in Albania, but most Western estimates are around the 200,000 mark.}}</ref><ref name="Publications2008">{{cite book|author=Europa Publications|title=The Europa World Year Book 2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oabsu05rJNoC|accessdate=22 December 2012|date=24 June 2008|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-85743-452-1|quote=...&nbsp;and Greece formally annulled claims to North Epirus (southern Albania), where there is a sizeable Greek minority.&nbsp;... strained by concerns relating to the treatment of ethnic Greeks residing in Albania (numbering an estimated 300,000)&nbsp;...}}</ref> TheAccording Albanianto government2011 putscensus the number atstands onlyat 24,243."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.instat.gov.al/media/180932/1.1.13.xls |title= Census 2011 Data: Resident population by ethnic and cultural affiliation |publisher= The Institute of Statistics of Republic of Albania |accessdate= 5 April 2014 |deadurl= yes |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131113164207/http://www.instat.gov.al/media/180932/1.1.13.xls |archivedate= 13 November 2013 |df= dmy-all }}</ref> The [[CIA World Factbook]] estimates the Greek minority at 0.9%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/al.html|title=Albania|publisher=CIA |accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref> of the total population. The US State Department uses 1.17% for Greeks and 0.23% for other minorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3235.htm|title=Albania|work=U.S. Department of State|accessdate=13 September 2014}}</ref> The latter questions the validity of the census data about the Greek minority, due to the fact that measurements have been affected by boycott.<ref>{{cite web|title=International Religious Freedom Report for 2014: Albania|url=https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/238560.pdf |page=5 |website=www.state.gov|publisher=United States Department of State|accessdate=20 October 2015|quote=Ethnic Greek minority groups had encouraged their members to boycott the census, affecting measurements of the Greek ethnic minority and membership in the Greek Orthodox Church.}}</ref>