The Ilinden – Tirana association that represents Macedonians in Albania informs that Bulgarian agents are increasingly active in the poor and remote Gora region, between Albania and Kosovo where Macedonians live. The goal of the Bulgarian efforts is to get Macedonians to declare a Bulgarian identity – in exchange for funds and the coveted Bulgarian passport that allows people from these neglected regions to live in EU member states.

The Macedonians in the region of Gora are inalienable part of the Macedonian people. Their consciousness in Macedonian and the Bulgarian efforts to deface and Bulgarize this population are conducted with fraud and blackmail. They promise to improve the socio-economic status of the applicants and distribute Bulgarian passports and scholarships, on the condition that they declare a Bulgarian identity for themselves and their ancestors, the association said.