Say: Macedonia

I am Macedonian, period.

2009-02-10T01:05:00.005+01:00

This is an excerpt from the article by Risto Stefov, published in American Chronicle a few days ago. It describes the view on the "name issue" from our Macedonian perspective, including what we think that the root of the problem is.

How is it possible in the 21st century for someone else to decide who I am, or who I am not? Does the "universal human right to self determination" as declared by the United Nations not apply to me? Am I excluded from this declaration?

How does one become what or who he or she is? Is it the government that decides? The priest, the church, the United Nations...? Who has the power to decide ethnically and nationally who I am, what language I can speak, what songs I can sing, what dances I can dance...? And if anyone has that right who has given it to him or her?

...

In the beginning of the 20th century my ancestors struggled to free themselves and Macedonia from the grip of the Ottoman occupiers as did the other nations in the Balkans. After five centuries of occupation it was time for freedom; time for the Ottomans to leave. The spirit of freedom was felt everywhere and blood was spilled to achieve it. Unfortunately freedom to the Macedonians did not come easily in spite of their effort. Not to Macedonia and not to my ancestors! One tyrant was replaced by three and instead of gaining its freedom Macedonia was again occupied and divided. Worse than before, in addition to losing their homeland, Macedonians now lost their identity and forcibly were made into Serbs, Bulgarians and Greeks.

The struggle for the Macedonian name, identity and language became and 100 years later is still a burden to all Macedonians and a shame for Greece, Bulgaria, the EU and the United Nations who still insist on their non-existence.

An increasing number of countries and people are standing on our side in our fight for the right to be called by our name. People who stand for democracy and human rights agree with us that we should not change our name, that nobody has the right to make us do that against our free will. This mass includes righteous people in Greece, too, who have publicly spoken against their country's fascism and racism towards the Macedonian minority.

The "name issue" between Greece and Macedonia is a case that shakes the very foundations on which the principle of human rights stand upon. It is also a public shame for all involved in this unfair pressure, no matter which organization they represent (UN, EU, NATO...) and how many times they declare to be supporters of human rights. Sometimes doing nothing means doing harm. So far, the problem was not resolved only because Greece has a superior position as a member of NATO and EU, thus blackmailing us with veto to enter there organizations, unless we comply to their lunatic demands. That's all, really, we haven't seen any arguments and facts so far, anything that would justify the irrational fear and hate towards Macedonia and Macedonians, or the will to make them disappear.

No matter how long we wait to enter NATO and EU, we will NOT change our name. We changed our flag and our constitution according to Greece's demands, we endured an economic embargo, we are constantly enduring provocations and insults from our southern neighbor. During this time, we are offering our friendly hand and will to forgive the past. As a final compromise that we are willing to make, we are offering the double formula - that's it, nothing more you'll get from us!

MACEDONIA FOR THE MACEDONIANS!

Is Croatia next on Greece's hitlist?

2009-01-30T01:05:00.001+01:00

Greece is annoyed because Croatia has recognised the Macedonian national minority and autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church, therefore it is more likely Athens to block the opening of a new chapter of Croatia's membership talks, Split-based newspaper "Slobodna Dalmacija" reports.

The daily citing "unofficial, but confidential information", claims that Greece might block the start of the negotiations in terms of the chapter of judiciary, because the Macedonian minority is mentioned in it.

"Slobodna Dalmacija" says that even though Foreign Ministry spokesman Mario Dragun said he had no information on any announcements about a blockade from Greece, talks are being held about the issue behind closed doors. [via MINA]

Is there an end to the Greek obsession with the existence of Macedonia and us Macedonians? Their hate produces even greater hate, and their lies lead to even more lies. We are too small to compete with Greek diplomatic fist, using facts and logic, and their "more equal" position as member of NATO and EU allows them to hold us hostage to their uncontrollable nationalism and racism. Unless the politicians from other countries stand up to this injustice (but why would they jeopardize their positions in the name of justice?), we will remain prisoners for being what we are, Macedonians.

Link: Novi problemi: i Grčka nam prijeti blokadom pregovora (Slobodna Dalmacija).

Friedman: Macedonians exist before the 20th century

2009-01-20T01:05:00.007+01:00

Professor Victor Friedman is one of the world's foremost experts on Balkan languages, and has been studying them for almost four decades, since 1993 as a linguist at the University of Chicago. During his last visit to Macedonia, he had an interview with "Balkanalysis" director Christopher Deliso, where among other topics, they discuss about the Macedonian language and the Macedonian - Greek relations.

On one place in the interview, Friedman mentions the language "Arvanitika" as "the Albanian dialect/language of speakers who migrated to Greece a millennium or so ago":

CD: By the term ‘Arvanitika,’ you mean medieval Albanian?

VF: Most precisely, it refers to the Albanian dialects of Greece that separated from the main body of Tosk Albanian 600-1000 years ago. The dialects were spoken on many Greek islands, the Peloponnese, and in Attica and Central Greece. Greeks don’t like to admit it, but they have had large Albanian-speaking populations for a very long time, not just post-Communist economic migrants. While these dialects are now moribund owing to hegemonistic Greek language policies, they can still be encountered in places like Livadhia.

... and he gives an example of a woman who claims she is Greek, but fluently speaks Arvanitika which she learned at home, from her grandmother. The discussion moves to the Greek relations with Macedonia and Macedonians...

CD: (Laughing) on that note, let’s talk about the Macedonia issue now. Greece denies the Macedonian identity, referring to ancient history. What do you think about this?

VF: Unfortunately, with independence, some Macedonians fell into the nationalist trap set by Greece. The Greeks came up with a line claiming the Macedonians could not claim the name Macedonia unless they were descended from the Ancient Macedonians.

Well, no one can reasonably claim to be descended from the Ancient Macedonians, but this became part of the argument, instead of other more pertinent things. And so the issue has remained. But the Greeks have been denying the existence of Macedonia and the Macedonians all along.

CD: From your perspective, how far back does this go as a state policy? To the breakdown of Yugoslavia, or further?

VF: Oh, it’s been that way ever since modern Macedonians began to call themselves Macedonians. The Greeks have been denying the existence of its Macedonian minority since acquiring Greek Macedonia at the Treaty of Bucharest following the Second Balkan War (1913), except for a brief period in the 1920s. In 1957, an otherwise respectable Greek linguist named N. Andriotis published a polemical and, from an academic point of view, deeply flawed booklet entitled ‘The Confederate state of Skopje and Its Language’ – referring, of course, to Macedonia and Macedonian within Socialist Yugoslavia.

CD: This is very interesting to me, because as you know, many Greeks today refer to the whole country of Macedonia by the name of the capital, and the people as ‘Skopjeans.’ So they were using this reference even then?

VF: Of course. But already in the 19th century, Macedonian speakers were calling themselves Macedonians (Makedontsi), their language, ‘Makedonski.’ This is documented.

... and since I don't want to violate the copyright policy of Balkanalysis site, I will only copy one more excerpt from the interview, this time about the difference between the Bulgarian and the Macedonian languages.

CD: Many Bulgarian politicians and academics claim that Macedonian is just a dialect of Bulgarian. What do you say on this topic?

VF: The answer is of course Macedonian is a distinct language. It is similar to Bulgarian, but just as Swedish and Norwegian are similar languages, but separate, so, too, are Macedonian and Bulgarian.

CD: Why?

VF: Both sets of languages have different dialectal bases. And for this reason it is not at all like the case of Moldovan and Romanian. The Moldovan standard language is not based on Moldovan dialects; it is based on the same Wallachian dialects as standard Romanian.

In the case of Macedonian, however, the standard language is based on the dialects spoken in the west-central geographical area defined by Veles, Bitola, Prilep and Kichevo. It is not identical with any specific dialect, and has elements from the eastern ones as well. Standard Bulgarian is not based on a single dialect, but is based on eastern Bulgarian dialects, from Veliko Tarnovo to the Danube and further east.

I warmly invite anyone interested in the subject to read the entire interview. Professor Friedman speaks about dozens of interesting topics, with information that some might find surprising - especially if they lived under decades of nationalistic government propaganda. We all know who am I talking about, right?

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NATO should move towards integration

2009-01-10T01:05:00.006+01:00

Michael Evans, who is the defense editor of The London Times, writes in his latest column about the challenges that NATO faces, now that most of the political environment has changed in these past six decades of it's existence. He points the finger towards the President-elect of the USA, Barak Obama, advising him to promptly resolve all issues that compromise the stability of the Balkans, instead of pursuing the open-door policy that has been higher on the agenda so far.

The foreign ministers came up with a fudge that allowed Georgia and Ukraine to believe they were still loved without upsetting Moscow. The issue, however, has not gone away. The alliance is divided between those committed to the open-door policy - Washington being the most prominent - and newer arrivals, including Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic nations, who are worried about the way that Moscow is going, particularly after the mini-war in Georgia in August, and want Nato to focus more on its traditional role of territorial defence. Quite like old Cold War times.

How this division is resolved will depend to a large extent on Barack Obama. Will he follow the Bush line and keep that door open, even for Georgia and Ukraine, or will he reconsider priorities, focusing perhaps on ensuring that stability in the Balkans moves higher up the agenda? This would mean getting Macedonia - there are still rows over its name - swiftly into the alliance and brokering an end to the interminable impasse between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus.

It's ironic that the President-elect has surrounded himself with Clinton Administration officials and appointed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. They will all be open-door enthusiasts, but it cannot make sense to focus on ensuring the future membership of Georgia and Ukraine, particularly while Mikhail Shakashvili, whose recklessness in trying to seize back the breakaway region of South Ossetia triggered the mini-war, is still President in Tbilisi.

Michael does not explain where does he see the cracks of stability in Macedonia or it's immediate surroundings, but we all agree that our integration into NATO is a benefit for Macedonia, it's neighbors, and the Alliance in general.

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Visa regime should be history

2008-12-30T01:05:00.001+01:00

Macedonia faces a big problem with the visa regime imposed by the European Union, a problem which affects our business capacity, travel and commuting, education, arts, going on vacation and so on. My country has fulfilled all criteria for lifting the visa regime, but the process is at standstill somewhere in the offices in Brussels. Here are some posters expressing our stance on the issue:

Macedonians hope that the visa regime will be lifted in 2009.

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EU: We are not respecting minority rights

2008-12-20T01:05:00.002+01:00

Brussels admitted that in the countries which are members of the European Union there are serious cases of breaking the human rights. According to their analysis, the minorities are under biggest threat.

The Committee for Civil Liberties of the European Parliament asked the Union to adopt a special definition of the term "minority" and to allow the minorities to have the right to speak freely and to be educated in their language.

From the report: "It is sad that the member countries with their pressure not to talk about the minority rights are actually diminishing the credibility of Brussels and embarrassing the Union at the same time. They are tying the Union's hands whenever it needs to assess the situation or to criticize the members that have a lot to do in this area".

Although they are not individually pointed out, Greece and Bulgaria are typical examples of EU countries that ignore minority rights. They are both members of the European Union and they both deny that there is a Macedonian minority inside their borders.

Atanasis Parisis, from the Macedonian party in Greece, Rainbow: "On paper, the Greek authorities say that they respect the rights of all citizens in Greece. What does that mean? It meant, they respect only what they have acknowledged. Those who are not recognized by the state, according to them, can not ask for any rights. This is their game".

Link: Непочитувањето на малцинските права ја „оцрни“ унијата (Sitel TV, in Macedonian language).

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Macedonia will join NATO only in a dignified manner

2008-12-05T01:05:00.003+01:00

"Republic of Macedonia fulfilled the criteria for membership in the North-Atlantic Alliance, but it will join in when it will be allowed to do so in a dignified manner" - said Antonio Milososki, the Foreign Minister of Macedonia, during his speech at the meeting of the countries of the Adriatic Charter, held in Helsinki, on the margins of the 16th session of the OSCE Ministerial Council.

This statement mirrors the public opinion in Macedonia and is illustrating how important is for us Macedonians to be recognized under the only name we find possible: Macedonia, and the ethnic group: Macedonians. This is a line that no one else in the world is willing to cross, for any reason.

Greece is conveniently trying to present this stance as unfriendly, radical and even an advocate of irredentism, but it is simply a manifestation of the basic human right, to be respected for who you are. They are twisting our arm and forcing us to accept our name to be changed, something that is without a precedent in the history, and something that no other country would do.

We are also disappointed in NATO and EU, because they are showing double standards, depending on the issue - on one hand proclaiming human rights protectors, and on the other, they allow Greece to hold us hostage to its own interests, just because of WHO we are: Macedonians. Actually, it all boils down to specific politicians, "keeping a low profile", "going with the flow" in a quiet manner, not entering into battles with people who can have impact on their careers. There are exceptions though, from people which are honest and believe in universal principles and equality. We expect from both organizations either a stronger pressure on Greece to come to its senses, or a change in the way decisions are being made, new laws if necessary, ones that will improve the democratic environment and forbid further bending of law and justice.

Link: Милошоски: Македонија ќе се приклучи кон НАТО кога тоа ќе биде можно на достоинствен начин (Net Press, in Macedonian language).

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Valianatos: Greece should recognize the Macedonians

2008-11-30T01:05:00.002+01:00

Grigoris Valianatos, the advisor of the PASOK leader Papandreu, removed from the party because of his "promacedonian" stance, in an exclusive interview for A1, on the margins of the Rainbow's congress, called on Greece to recognize both the Macedonian minority / nation and the constitutional name of Macedonia. "We have to understand that Macedonians live outside of Greece" - says Valianatos, who is also the head of the Greek Helsinki Committee.

A1: In a way, you became a victim of the Greek - Macedonian name dispute, which lasts for about 17-18 years now. What do you think about the future of this dispute? Is there a capacity in Greece to overcome this issue?

GV: First of all, a human rights activist can not be a victim. We sometimes achieve small victories. It is not easy, but we are ready. I think that the time will resolve the problems which are generated through the education in my country. The Greek Macedonians will understand that by the end of the XIX century a new nation was profiled, a new entity in the region, known as "Macedonia", and this is not a Greek entity.

A1: As you can see, a lot of people are afraid to do that.

GV: I believe that the Macedonians without any additional attribute, during time, will be understood, but the Greek Macedonians who consider themselves as Greek, should make an effort, as well as the international factors, I think.

We are now in a phase when we should read the human rights conventions of the EU. I think that many other nations and many minorities should form an alliance and to teach the Greeks what it means to be a minority, and how rich is the life which includes minorities.

A1: You are one of the people under pressure for your public statements that there is a Macedonian minority in Greece. Is there in Greece a capacity, or a relevant intellectual or political force that could persuade the Greek authorities to recognize this situation?

GV: I have written about this in several occasions. I am afraid that the Greek intellectuals are asleep in this context. I call upon them to wake up. I think they will, one way or another. The other way is, unfortunately, the international courts for human rights.

A1: Do you think that Republic of Macedonia did right by initiating proceedings against Greece in the International Court of Justice in Hague, for a violation of Article 11 of the Interim Accord of 13 September 1995?

GV: Considering that I am not a judge, I think that Macedonia has the right to go to that court. Of course, you are Europeans.

A1: And in the end, what is your comment on the Greek veto in Bucharest, and the position that EU took by saying: "first establish good neighborly relations with Greece, and then maybe enter the Union"?

GV: Our position is that both EU and the European political forces are very reluctant, very loose when the issue is about the implementation of the human rights in Greece. I think that this will change.

Link: Валијантос: Грчките Македонци ќе сфатат дека се оформи нова нација (A1, in Macedonian language).

PS: Not too long ago, the Greek Ambassador to Macedonia, Mrs. Dora Grosomanidou was promptly fired after making a statement that official Athens should acknowledge the fact that there are Macedonians living there. Fortunately, there are still Greeks that think with their own head, instead of what is being served to them by their political leaders. Like the two users who gave the following answers to the question "Why Grigoris Valianatos was dismissed from PASOK?": Akatonomos - "I am Greek and I am ashamed of our politics towards Macedonian minority" and anastaci - "That shows us how deep democracy in Greece... sank down", obviously criticizing the lack of public debate and suppressing different opinions on the existence of minorities.

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Seven Macedonians prosecuted for the events at Zabrdeni

2008-11-25T01:05:00.003+01:00

The public prosecutor of Lerin has pressed charges against seven individuals who participated in the recent events at the village of Zabrdeni in Aegean Macedonia. Among them were the four initially arrested on the scene of the unrest while the other three are also inhabitants of the village.

According to the public prosecutor, the accused allegedly obstructed public transport when they blocked tanks and other armored vehicles of the Greek Army, initiated riots among the local population, and resisted violently when policemen tried to reopen the passage leading to an army exercise field in the vicinity of their homes. No date has been set yet for the trial, but its is likely that it will take place next year.

Protests in Zabrdeni against the army exercises caught the public eye not only in Greece but also in the neighboring Republic of Macedonia and internationally. The issue caused a public debate inside the Greek Parliament while Macedonian minority party EFA-Rainbow directly accused the Greek authorities of policies of discrimination.

The detention of four Macedonian journalists who were covering the events also led to protests by the Macedonian Government, the International Federation of Journalists and the International Press Institute-South East Europe Media Organization. In addition, IFJ and IPI-SEEMO urged the Greek authorities to explain why the journalists were obstructed from performing their duties and eventually forced to leave Greece. No answer to these complaints has been given so far by Greek officials.

Link: EFA - Rainbow.

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Macedonia vs. Greece in ICJ

2008-11-21T13:01:00.002+01:00

No later than in 4 years period, the International Court of Justice should bring a decision whether our southern neighbor had broken the Interim Accord, signed by Greece and Macedonia in 1995. In the application which was delivered to Hague a few days ago, Macedonia asks the court to formally confirm that Greece broke the Article 11 of the interim agreement, according to which Greece abides not to interfere with Macedonia's membership in international organizations, as long as it uses the provisional reference "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".

This application is related to this year's incident, when Greece vetoed Macedonia's application for NATO membership in Bucharest (more: FMPG played "VETO"). In the description of the proceedings, the Macedonian government says this is the only way for Macedonia to implement its rights from the interim agreement.

"Macedonia was denied in getting an invitation to join the North-Atlantic Alliance. This unilateral ignoring of the interim accord brings Macedonia into a legal insecurity and also brings into question the credibility of the mutually accepted accords as international agreements.

As a result of this, the Government of Republic of Macedonia decided to institute proceedings against Greece in the International Court of Justice in Hague, for a violation of Article 11 of the Interim Accord of 13 September 1995. This act has a purpose of protecting the Interim Accord from further violations", - said Antonio Milososki, the Foreign Minister of Macedonia.

Link: Proceedings instituted by Macedonia against Greece (ICJ).

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Papandreou fires his consultant for telling the truth

2008-11-11T01:05:00.002+01:00

George Papandreou (junior), the leader of the Greek political party PASOK (Panhellenic Socialist Movement), fired his media consultant because of his pro-Macedonian stance. Gligoris Valianatos, who is also known in the Greek public as a human rights activist, during his interview for a TV station "Extra 3", claimed that he stands behind the idea that my country should be left alone to use the name it chose, "Republic of Macedonia". Beside this statement, he also said that there is a Macedonian minority in Greece.

These statements, Papandreou said, are in total contradiction with the official policy of Athens, supported by his opposition party PASOK, which denies the existence of a Macedonian minority and also asks for our name to be changed.

Link: Папандреу отпушти советник поради промакедонски став (A1, in Macedonian language).

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Should Macedonia be worried?

2008-11-01T01:05:00.003+01:00

After the recent military exercises by the Greek Army near the border with Macedonia, which ended in riots by the local ethnic Macedonian population whose crops were being destroyed, here is another provocation.

During a military parade in Solun (Salonica), and in front of several international officials, including the ministers of defense from the surrounding countries (excluding Macedonia), the Greek army shouted messages of hostility and hatred.

- Macedonia, you are a Greek land...
- Greek sons are waiting for a command...
- There's a place, called Macedonia, which we love a lot...
- Macedonians have Greek blood...
- We will not give the name "Macedonia" to Skopje...
- Macedonia is Greek...

So the question in Macedonia is: can Greece control its dogs of war? Should we be worried?

Link: „Македонија е грчка“ - скандирања на Грчката армија (A1 Television, in Macedonian language).

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India recognized Macedonia under our constitutional name

2008-10-25T01:05:00.001+02:00

India officially recognized my country as "Republic of Macedonia". In a diplomatic note sent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, to the Macedonian government, India says it will from now on use "Republic of Macedonia" when communicating with us. Furthermore, in a letter which the Indian president Pratibha Patil sent to Macedonian authorities, she discusses cooperation between India and Macedonia.

I wish to thank India and its citizens for recognizing my country under the only name we consider possible and acceptable. You have done a step in the right direction, showing that our arguments are stronger than Greece's diplomatic fist. This is a step in the direction of freedom and justice. Thank you very much!

India is the 126th country which uses our constitutional name. So far, Macedonia has established diplomatic relations with 160 countries.

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Genetic comparison of the Balkan nations against ancient nations

2008-10-20T01:05:00.007+02:00

I have to say at the beginning that the issue with the name is NOT something that should be looked at through genetic point of view. Our case is plain and simple: we ARE Macedonians because we FEEL so, and nobody can tell us what we are. The same statement goes for any other ethnic group in the world.

Anyway, there has been a heated debate going on in the forums of one Swiss genetic research institute (iGENEA) after they published their findings about the genetic composition of the modern day nations living in the Balkans, against the genetic fingerprint found in the ancient nations (e.g. through archeological excavations). I am not a genetic scientist, therefore I will not go into any analysis or debate. However, in the interest of all of us being informed WHO we are, I will copy the findings which iGENEA published about Macedonia and neighboring countries.

Albania:
30% Illyrian
20% Slavs
18% Thracian
15% Phoenician
14% Hellenic
02% Vikings

Greece:
35% Hellenic
20% Slavs
20% Phoenician
10% Illyrian
10% Germanic
05% Macedonian (but in Aegean Macedonia, more than 18%)

Bulgaria:
49% Thracian
15% Slavs
15% Hellenic
11% Macedonian
05% Phoenician

Macedonia:
30% Macedonian
20% Germanic
15% Hellenic
15% Slavs
10% Illyrian
05% Phoenician
05% Hunnen

One of the scientists who work in iGENEA, while answering some questions on their forum, said the following sentence:

No country in Europe is today genetically homogen[eous].

I would like to stress this fact, because it is the same with my claim that genetics can not be brought into the name dispute, considering that all modern nations are a mixture of many nations and cultures who lived before them and certainly NOBODY can claim any exclusivity over any historic period, especially not based on some "genetic heritage". Insisting on using such arguments makes the person look either stupid and/or a pretentious liar.

For example, unless you dispute and prove wrong the above paragraph, nobody can throw claims like:

Macedonians are Greek (they are genetically different, the Ancient Macedonian gene is more advanced, it has two more mutations than the Hellenic, according to iGENEA);
Citizens of Republic of Macedonia are Slavs (partially true, we are 15% Slavs, but what happens if we compare those with the 20% Slav genes in Greece, are Greek people more Slavs?);
Macedonians are Bulgarians (also not correct, if you notice the strong 49% Thracian genes there);
Macedonians have no history (which is too obviously incorrect, in fact hilarious, and only serves as a pointer that an anti-Macedonian fascist pressed against the wall will INVENT "arguments" in the lack of real ones).

Therefore, let's remove the "ancestry argument" or the "genetic argument" from the table while talking about why you insist that we should change our name. It is obvious that it is NOT a valid argument and is one of the reasons why I disabled the comments - I had too much "genetic noise" and no real, friendly debate. But if you INSIST on using this argument, then look at the numbers above, and see what we (and you) are made of.

If this article inspires at least one racist to re-investigate his beliefs, than I am more than satisfied!

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Greek government uses army and police to scare the Macedonian minority

2008-10-15T01:05:00.001+02:00

One Macedonian has minor injuries and four have been arrested, after incidents which took place yesterday in the area surrounding Lerin (Florina) in Aegean Macedonia. Eleven days ago, after the requests from the local population, the Greek army withdrew from its training camp near the village of Zabrdeni and Ovcharani.

Today, the Greek army returned to the region, but this time they came with lots of policemen, as well as tanks and other large vehicles. The Greek police specialists intervened when the local ethnic Macedonian population tried to stop the Greek army from setting up camp and heavy-military training right next to their village.

The news article is in Macedonian language

Journalist crews from Macedonia, who were investigating the incident in this area predominately populated with ethnic Macedonians, were detained in the police, and "interviewed" in order to establish what they were filming - allegedly, military installations. After spending some time in the police, they were released, but with police escort.

When the journalists tried to interview some local Macedonians, the police stopped them saying that they will just "disturb" them by asking questions, and then escorted them to the Macedonian - Greek border and told them to leave the country.

The official response from Athens is that the incident in the Macedonian villages was provoked (by who?) and that Macedonia is interfering in Greece's internal matters (by trying to protect it's repressed ethnic minority?). The Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski today will notify Brussels on the latest development of events in Aegean Macedonia.

In an interview for a local TV station, he said he is deeply disappointed by the European Union's institutions, who by ignoring his previous appeals for protection of the Macedonian minority in Aegean Macedonia, gave courage to the radical Greek authorities to continue and even increase the repression, which escalated in yesterday's incidents. Such events involving ethnic repression and attempts to silence the media do not correspond to the fact that they are happening in the 21st century, and in a EU member country.

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Rainbow speaks at OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting

2008-10-10T01:05:00.000+02:00

The following text is the majority of the statement given by Rainbow (Виножито), the Organisation of the Macedonian Minority of Greece during the fifth working session (National Minorities) at the 2008 OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. It is not true that Greece has no minorities, the truth is that the majority suppresses the minorities in any way it can, probably from the standpoint that Greece should be a "strong nation state" - which is thankfully an expired concept in the rest of the normal world.

One of the basic demands of the Macedonian minority is to have the right to use traditional place names and have their first name and surname in their own language recognized by the state.

During the inter-war period between World War I and World War II, Greece enacted a number of laws which replaced all non-Greek names of towns, villages, rivers and mountains with Greek names. These traditional toponyms (which still exist in unofficial use among the population) are not given official recognition by the Greek state. This is not in accord with Recommendation number 3 of the High Commissioner’s Oslo Recommendations regarding the Linguistic Rights of National Minorities.

Also during the inter-war period, during the 1920s and 1930s the personal names of the Macedonian speaking population were also forcibly changed. Macedonian personal names were replaced with Greek ones. Of the thousands of names that were changed, so too was the name of the Benishev family which became “Vasiliadis”.

Last year Mr Petros Vasiliadis, a member of this family made an application to the local Prefect in Florina/Lerin to change his surname back to the traditional Macedonian family name “Benishev”. The local Prefect and the Regional Administration rejected the application, both noting that the applicant does not have a right to such a surname because “there is no such thing as a Macedonian minority in Greece”.

It should be noted that Paragraph 32 of the Copenhagen document states that “To belong to a national minority is a matter of a person’s individual choice and no disadvantage may arise from the exercise of such choice”. Therefore the action of the Greek State seems to be in violation of this paragraph as well as incompatible with Recommendation 1 of the High Commissioner’s Oslo Recommendations.

Although various human rights bodies have strongly recommended the Greek state to take measures for the recognition and the protection of the rights of the Macedonian-speaking population in Greece, including the ratification of the European Charter of Regional or Minority Languages. However Greece has ignored such advice.

It is a common practice of Greek representatives in various international forums, to claim that there is no Macedonian minority but “a small number of people speaking a Slavic dialect or idiom in Northern Greece” referring to the Macedonian-speaking community. So the question must be asked: why has the Greek government not taken any measures to protect and promote the so-called “dialect”? I should mention that the so-called dialect or idiom that the Greek government refers to actually belongs to a language, the Macedonian language. In fact the language was recognized as “Macedonian” by the Greek government in the census of 1920 as a language separate to Serbian and Bulgarian.

Two years ago Macedonian minority activists reprinted a primer in the Macedonian language which was produced by the Greek government under pressure from the League of Nations in 1925. The activists felt it was necessary to take this measure because the Greek government had failed to take action in this regard. Letter after letter was sent to the Greek Ministry of Education in relation to the introduction of Macedonian language education, but there was never a response.

Despite the total ignorance of the Greek state in relation to the Macedonian minority, activists continue to push for the introduction of Macedonian language education in Greece. In this connection, this Rainbow, the Organisation of the Macedonian Minority in Greece has taken another step to assist the Greek government by publishing a bilingual Macedonian/Greek dictionary.

Since the Greek government has refused meetings on this issue, I would like to use this opportunity today to present the Greek delegation with a copy of this important project.

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Macedonia Loves You

2008-10-03T01:05:00.000+02:00

Stanislav Pigon spent 9 months as an expert on one of the EU funded projects in Macedonia. This resident of Warsaw fell in love in my country and dedicated a web site to express his devotion.

The web site is called "Macedonia Loves You" and it is celebrating one year of existence. Stanislaw created a 2nd version of the site and he is inviting you to have a look:

It' s All About Macedonia: presentations of new places with hundreds of exquisite imagines: Lazaropole, Veles, Rostuse..., stories about people who fell in love with wine making: Tikves People... and many others.

In new MKLOVESYOU, people living in the Republic of Macedonia send their smiles to the world, celebrate their happiness, present their small motherlands, culture and sacred traditions.

Stanislaw, I thanked you last year via email, and now I thank you from the site, for your positive and cosmopolitan view of Macedonia. We need more people like you in this world.

Link: Macedonia Loves You.

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Google Weather corrected itself

2008-09-25T01:05:00.004+02:00

I was very glad when Miroslav sent me the good news today, regarding his email to Google Weather, where he asked for using the proper name for our country.

As you have already guessed it, Google Weather now uses "Macedonia" as the name of the country if you search for the weather in any Macedonian city. Kudos Miroslav, and thank you Google for making this right.

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Chile recognized Republic of Macedonia

2008-09-21T01:05:00.003+02:00

The South American country Chile is the 117^th country that recognized Republic of Macedonia under our constitutional name, according to A1.

I wish to extend our gratitude on behalf of the citizens of Macedonia. We appreciate your kind gesture very much. This gives us the kind of support we need in order to preserve our name, our identity and our dignity as a nation equal to all others.

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UN expert Gay McDougall investigates the minority rights in Greece

2008-09-17T01:05:00.000+02:00

The Greek Government showed their displeasure at the UN announced visit to Greece by closing the Macedonian - Greek border earlier today.

Photo from Getty Images

During the past two months, several Macedonian and Foreign Officials had sent letters to the UN as well as EU Organization regarding the plight of Macedonian and other minorities in Greece. The European Commission responded that it is not competent to review the situation of minorities.

The United Nations on the other hand, decided to dispatch an expert to verify Athens claim of 99.9% Greeks with zero minorities. Greece showed their dismay by the UN visit when Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis announced she will personally meet with the UN expert Gay McDougall where it is expected for Athens to exert pressure on the UN representative.

Athens blames the UN visit squarely on Macedonian Officials for their letters, even though previously had mocked them. The results of UN Expert Gay McDougall to her "Greece's Minorities" mission will be made available to the world in March of 2009. She will investigate Aegean Macedonia, Thrace and other regions.

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You don't need to change your name

2008-09-13T01:05:00.000+02:00

Hans-Lothar Steppan is the former German ambassador in Macedonia and the author of the book "The Macedonian Knot". In an interview for the Macedonian television station A1, among other things, he said the following:

I am sure that all historians agree that if you want to understand the current political situation, you need to enter the history chapters. This history proved that before 1912, Greece never owned the Macedonian territory. Not in the Antique times, not in the Roman times, not in the Slav times, and not during the Ottoman Empire's rule.

Only after the violation of the international law in 1912-1913 during the Balkan wars, together with Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, they occupied and annexed Macedonia, Thrace and Epirus. Basically, Greece stole the Macedonian territory, because this act was against the international laws.

This historic link is completely independent of the right of Macedonia for self-determination. All nations in the world have that right, therefore Macedonia too can decide on it's identity and name. Nobody has the right to interfere...

... EU and NATO politicians know that Greece is skillful, that it cheats and even lies to Macedonia, they know things aren't supposed to be like this. Especially not from the cradle of Europe, from the cradle of the democratic principles. Greece should have responsibility for truth and justice. The European Commission knows about this, and if they continue to support Greece with this false solidarity, then there must be something invisible going on in the background.

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Letters of support

2008-09-09T01:05:00.003+02:00

This is one of the emails of support from foreigners that are coming in my inbox. This one is from Michael, the author of the site Slavic Brothers:

Just a few words to congratulate you on your efforts to maintain the identity that Macedonia and Macedonians deserve.

I am a descendant of the Slovak people who were treated in much the same way by the Hungarians and the Lithuanian people who suffered under the dark hand of Russia. I defend my own people in similar ways.

Please continue to demand proper recognition for Macedonia and it's people, culture, language and heritage when ever and where ever possible.

Michael Mursko
'Mykolas'

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Greek fascists provoked Macedonians in Vrbeni

2008-09-05T01:05:00.000+02:00

A group of Greek fascists, members of the neo-fascist organization Hrisi Avgi (Golden Dawn), deliberately provoked inter-ethnic incidents in the village of Vrbeni (Xino Nero), near the town Lerin (Florina), in Aegean Macedonia.

The situation nearly went beyond control, but spirits calmed down after the mediation of the more cold blooded ones. The members of the Golden Dawn arrived at the village in a convoy of cars, holding Greek flags and shouting, and then headed to the central square of the village. The tensions culminated when member of Vinozhito (Rainbow) who resides in the village demanded that they should leave.

Radical rights and villagers exchanged fists and swears despite the efforts of the very few police men to stop the incident. The situation nearly went beyond control when a villager took the Greek flag from the hands of a Golden Dawn member. But due to the mediation of more moderates, the flag was returned and the members of the Golden Dawn left the village. Earlier the radical rights had put the Greek flag on the municipality building and had choired the national anthem of Greece.

Before coming to the village of Vrbeni, the Golden Dawn members earlier were attending the annual celebrations for the victory of the monarcho-fascists against the communist rebels in mountain Vitsi during the war of 1948. The following poster was used to call the participants of this event:

The translation of this Greek text is:

The only solution for [Greek] Macedonia is for it to border with Serbia

The same poster, together with several others, was printed in vast numbers and distributed in many populated places, especially in Aegean Macedonia.

Despite the fact that that the members of the Golden Dawn had decided to move towards Vrbeni while they were in Vitsi for the annual celebration of radical right organizations, the police didn't take the appropriate measures for securing the event.

The monument at the summit of Vitsi was honored by members of the Greek fascistic party LAOS and a municipality administration member, representing the mayor of Thessaloniki.

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Google weather for Macedonia

2008-09-01T01:05:00.002+02:00

This is an email that one of Say: Macedonia's readers, Miroslav, sent to Google as a protest note to the improper naming of my country in some of their services. I will add their response, if they reply to Miroslav.

Hello,

I recently noticed that the search for "weather Skopje" on google.ca and possibly other domains and Google tools, returns the following:

Weather for Skopje, FYR Macedonia.

Both Canada and the U.S. have recognized Macedonia under its name, i.e. Republic of Macedonia, and I would appreciate it if Google did not use this insulting name, "FYR Macedonia" in the resources under your direct control.

Thanks in advance,
Miroslav

I encourage other readers that share the same opinion in the naming dispute to file their protest to all companies and sites which use the insulting acronym or any other name for my country, rather than "Republic of Macedonia". Feel free to send copies to me, I will publish them on this site if you want.

Update:

Google answered the note:

Hi Miroslav,

Thank you for your note. We're sorry you encountered this unexpected
results while using Google. Please be assured that your email will be
forwarded to the appropriate team for further investigation. We appreciate
your assistance in maintaining the quality of our search results. Thank
you again.

Regards,
Skylar
The Google Team

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Another Greek dark secret: relations with Serbia

2008-08-28T01:05:00.007+02:00

The following documentary treats the relations of Greece with the Serbs, and their "secret" participation in some of the war crimes. It opens with the question "why do Milosevic and Karadzic think that only God and Greece are on the Serb side?", in the light of Greece being a EU country, at the same time. The documentary also features fragments of interview with the Greek writer, Tachis Michas.

Ingeborg Beugel is a Dutch reporter and author of several documentaries about the crimes committed in Bosnia, including this one, called "The Greek Way". At the end of this documentary, she makes Pangalos leave in the middle of her interview.

[video hosted by On.net]

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