Romanian President asks Albania to recognise Aromanian minority

Romanian President Traian Basescu urged Albanian authorities on Tuesday (June 8th) to recognise Aromanians as a national minority in Albania. “The Aromanians have proven to be trustworthy Albanian citizens and have shown this throughout history,” Basescu said after meeting with counterpart Bamir Topi in Tirana. The Aromanians, or Vlachs, account for about 1% of the Albanian population and are currently recognised as a language or cultural minority.

Basescu and Topi also discussed Kosovo, with Basescu reiterating that his country does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 independence declaration, as it does not comply with relevant UN resolutions and international law. Topi, on the other hand, predicted “Kosovo will get new recognitions soon.”