Bulgaria's European Integration Minister Gergana Grancharova will meet Mursel Halili, chairperson of Civil initiative of the Gorani community in Kosovo, on April 25 2008, Bulgaria's Focus news agency said on April 24.

Estimates are that there are 8000 Gorani in Kosovo. They demand to be recognised as a minority group.

After Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on February 17 2008, some Gorani representatives asked to be recognised as a Bulgarian minority group, citing ethnic and language similarities. Some define the Gorani as a small South Slavic ethnic group of Muslim background.  The word “gora” in all Slav languages translates as “mountain”.

Currently people in Albania who define themselves as Bulgarian have two organisation, Prosperitet Goloborda and Ivan Vazov Mala Prespa Cultural  Association.

Bulgarian scientists have published several surveys in the past 30 years showing ethnic and linguistic similarities between Bulgarians and these minority groups.

Grancharova's two-day visit to Kosovo will start on April 24, when she will hold meetings with Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci, Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu, Dutch diplomat Petar Faith, who heads the European Civil Office in Kosovo, and Joachim Ruecker, chief of the UN Mission in Kosovo.

Grancharova will visit the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). She is scheduled to meet Serb Liberal Party leader Slobodan Petrovic.

Grancharova's visit takes place a day after Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin was on a one-day visit to Albania.

Kalfin met Albanian prime minister Sali Berisha.  “Bulgaria will help Albanian on its way to EU and Nato membership,” Kalfin told Berisha, according to Bulgarian news agency BTA.