European Union Forums

[Hellenicoz]

Greece Backs 'Republic of Northern Macedonia'

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/18160/

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/18148/

The problem is Athens is the only one compromising. Skopje will not compromise & thus will never get Nato & EU membership.

County Name: 'Republic of Northern Macedonia'
Nationality: 'Northern Macedonian'
Language: 'Northern Macedonian'

Greece vote for the NORTHERN MACEDONIA as Nato & EU member.

[Nathan]

Do you think people living in that region would agree calling themselves "Northern Macedonians"? I wouldn't. It sounds racistly for its emphasis of "Northern". As for Greeks, it seems to be convinient.

[Hellenicoz]

Do you think people living in that region would agree calling themselves "Northern Macedonians"? I wouldn't. It sounds racistly for its emphasis of "Northern". As for Greeks, it seems to be convinient.

Do you see the Northern Irish (Northern Ireland) sounding racistly for its emphasis of "Northern" to distingish itself from the Irish (Republic of Ireland)?

If FYROM dont want Northern Macedonia, North Macedonia, New Macedonia or Slav Macedonia they should go back to their original names of "Vardarska" or their ancient name of "Paionia" to distinguish itself from Macedonia which is the official name of Greece's northern region province & has been part of Greece for thousands of years. You cant just turn up & take someone else's name.

http://www.panmacedonian.info/Archaeology+Miller.htm

[Laurentine]

Sounds not racial to me. When do they plan to take the final decision on this issue? I'm not a citizen of Greece, but I do support its integrity and its intentions for protecting regions and names belonging historically to it. History is not a game, it's a value.

[Hellenicoz]

Sounds not racial to me. When do they plan to take the final decision on this issue? I'm not a citizen of Greece, but I do support its integrity and its intentions for protecting regions and names belonging historically to it. History is not a game, it's a value.

The sooner this name issue is solved the better. Unfortunatetly, it seems as though this could go on for many more years. Very much agree on the value of history.

[Benn]

Don't you think that many regions who have the same problem with territorial integrity might follow Greece's example? If digging back into past, plenty of states could discover that, for example, about 300 years ago their territory was conquered by their neighbours. That's not quite correct.

[Hellenicoz]

Don't you think that many regions who have the same problem with territorial integrity might follow Greece's example? If digging back into past, plenty of states could discover that, for example, about 300 years ago their territory was conquered by their neighbours. That's not quite correct.

This is different. Its not territorial. Its about the "MACEDONIA" name which is the official name of Greece's northern region province, has been for thousands of years & still is today in 2009. Thats why this topic is the "Macedonia Name Issue".

There was no mention of territorial claim by Greece on parts of FYROM. I think that is between Croatia & Slovenia, Russia & Georgia, along with quiet a few others.

This is about a new country which got its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 & from of all the names on this earth they want to use the Greek name MACEDONIA for their name. So many names they could of chosen, why choose one which already exists & is your neighbour? Are they that stupid that they couldnt choose a Slavic name?

[tricker]

There was no mention of territorial claim by Greece on parts of FYROM. I think that is between Croatia & Slovenia, Russia & Georgia, along with quiet a few others.

So other states can do this as well instead of demanding the land back, they could demand for their neighhbour's name to be changed to the one they desire.

[Hellenicoz]

There was no mention of territorial claim by Greece on parts of FYROM. I think that is between Croatia & Slovenia, Russia & Georgia, along with quiet a few others.

So other states can do this as well instead of demanding the land back, they could demand for their neighhbour's name to be changed to the one they desire.

The official name of the northern region province of Greece is "MACEDONIA".

The United Nations name of the Skopje governered country is "THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (FYROM)". Their constitutional name (Republic of Macedonia) is not recognised by the UNITED NATIONS, NATO & the EUROPEAN UNION. This is due to one of its members Greece already having their northern province named MACEDONIA.

The Skopje governed country (FYROM) need to join NATO & the UN to survive, but want to be recognised by their constitutional name (REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA) which isnt officially recognised outside of their own country. Greece & every member must vote for this so it can be accepted. If its the year 3009 they will still be waiting to get EU membership if they want Greece to allow them to be recognised a MACEDONIA.

1.Its the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia whom want to change their name. Greece already have their Macedonia.

2.Its the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia whom want to join NATO. Greece already are NATO members.

3.Its the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia whom want to join the EU. Greece already are EU members.

4.Its the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia whom wishes their land was on the Aegean & the Mediterranean. Greece already have the view of the Aegean & the Mediterraniean.

Do your research, because its not Greece whom want change. They have had Macedonia for thousands of years.
The others have gone from Vardarska to Vardar Banovina to Southern Slavs to South Serbia to Yugoslavia & now they WISH they were Macedonian.


http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/97318

http://knol.google.com/k/makedonas-mace ... 9fypdef/3#

http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/ ... Maps/1.jpg

[Hellenicoz]

THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIAN'S ALBANIANS IMPATIENT ON NAME DEAL
Skopje | 24 April 2009

Rafiz AlitiThe largest ethnic Albania party in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, warned its bigger ruling partner, VMRO DPMNE, that its patience for resolving the burning Athens-Skopje name dispute is running out.


The party vice president, Rafiz Aliti, said the talks for solving this row, which are hampering FYROM’s EU and NATO perspective, 'can not last indefinitely' and that the DUI will pursue the interests of the Albanian minority first and foremost.


"We feel the pressure from our voters and from all other sides. It is very important for Albanians that FYROM becomes part of NATO as soon as possible," Aliti told local Dnevink daily on Thursday.


Opinion polls show that ethnic Albanians, who represent a quarter of FYROM's population, are not as concerned about the preservation of FYROM’s formal name than ethnic Slav Macedonians. Instead, they hold EU and NATO accession as their top priorities.


Dnevinik cited unnamed party sources as saying that the DUI is prepared to wait a bit longer, until this year’s end, for a final compromise.


DUI last year distanced itself from this problem and gave a green light to their partner, VMRO DPMNE, to pursue a UN sponsored solution, letting their representatives speak from the angle of the ethnic Slav Macedonian majority.


But some local experts have suggested that the party is expected to radicalise their position after they received a warning from the electorate in this year’s March local and presidential elections, in which they lost important posts. They are arguing that the Albanians are displeased by DUI’s passive attitude in the government.


The long running name dispute escalated last year in April when Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO invitation due to the name 'Macedonia' that Greece insists implies territorial claims on its own province which has the same name. Later that same month, neighbouring Albania was invited to join.


The intensified UN talks have been running ever since, but have yet to bear fruit. Due to elections in both Greece and the FYROM, talks have currently been put on hold and are expected to gain momentum after June.


In 2001, a six-month armed conflict broke out in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) due to an Albanian insurgency. The peace deal signed afterward, which ended hostilities, promised the Albanian community greater rights. Observers say that the country’s unanimous Euro-Atlantic perspective is still the strongest glue between the Slav Macedonians and Albanians.


(Reporting by Sinisa-Jakov Marusic)

[Hellenicoz]

Athens and Sofia team up against Skopje

Thursday, 30 April 2009

With the publication of a book featuring confidential documents from Bulgarian state archives, Greece and Bulgaria created a joint front in a bid to deny the Macedonian identity - state, nation, language, and name - which might additionally affect Macedonia's integration into the Euro-Atlantic community.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, who presented on Wednesday the book "The Macedonian issue and Bulgaria - Confidential documents /1950-1967" ***, confirmed the ties and the apparent matching of positions of Greece and Bulgaria in denying Macedonia.
The book is a joint publication of the Society for Macedonian Studies and the Bulgarian State Archives.
During the presentation of the book, Bakoyannis noted that "the Bulgarian, same as many other previous historic documents show that the Macedonian issue is largely an ideological fabrication of the Cold War.
"The so-called Macedonian issue has become a tool to accomplish interests and goals that have nothing in common with the essence. It is a result of a long-standing competition in the Balkan. It's high time to leave it behind, it's time that stereotypes and rhetoric of an old era be left to the history, and seek stable and sustainable solutions of open issues such as this one," Bakoyannis said during the book promotion ceremony at the Athens-based War Museum.
Most of her speech focused on the name differences, reaffirming the Greek position on the matter.
She stressed that Greece is ready to "continue with intensive negotiations", adding that Athens sees a compromise solution in "composite name with a geographical qualifier for all uses ".
Bakoyannis also sent a message to the Former Yugoslav Macedonian government to cooperate in the efforts to reach a mutually acceptable solution, noting that "Greek consistent position on this matter has won an approval by the international community



http://www.mrt.com.mk/en/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=27

[Hellenicoz]

THACI: The FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (FYROM) IGNORES ITS ALBANIANS

Skopje | 09 May 2009 |


DPA leader Menduh ThaciThe right-of-centre FYROM Government is waging an "undeclared war against the Albanian option", the head of the ethnic Albanian opposition said.

Menduh Thaci, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, made the remarks at a session of DPA's branch in the town of Debar, local Makfax news agency reported Friday.

He accused the VMRO-DPMNE-led Government of "totally blocking the provisions of the 2001Ohrid peace deal" and "bringing uncertainty about the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s EU and NATO future".

The Ohrid deal aimed to pave the way for a multiethnic society by introducing greater rights for ethnic-Albanians, who make up one quarter of the population. It ended the six month armed insurgency in 2001.

Urging for a greater role of his community in policy-making, Thaci strongly attacked VMRO-DPMNE’s ethnic-Albanian coalition partners, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, for ignoring Albanian priorities: A swift EU and NATO of the country.

Last year, DUI gave carte blanch to VMRO-DPMNE to find a solution for the name row with Greece. This could unlock FYROM's NATO bid.

But after one year, and with no solution on the horizon, the ethnic Albanians have started to show signs of impatience. Opinion polls show they would much rather give up the country’s formal name in exchange for NATO and EU membership, as opposed to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia majority.

DUI head Ali Ahmeti also urged its coalition partner to find a solution quickly. Although still strong, observers say that the DUI is already feeling the pressure from its supporters after the March election.

DPA also did not perform well at the last election. It secured its lowest level of support for years.

[Hellenicoz]

Topi hails stands of Tetovo University students

Tirana/Tetovo / 13/05/09 / 13:23

Albanian President Bamir Topi deeply regrets that Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu did not attend the inauguration of Former Yugoslav Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov.

On Monday, the students of the State University of Tetovo called for a pan-Albanian boycott of the inauguration of the new Former Yugoslav Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov in a protest of non-invitation for Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu.

In their plea for boycott, instead of using FYROM's constitutional name (Republic of Macedonia), the students of the State University of Tetovo called the country BJRM (FYROM), and they also challenged the legitimacy of Gjorge Ivanov, calling him "the so-called president".

Albanian President Bamir Topi hailed the students' protest and also pledged a direct support to their stands. /end/



http://www.makfax.com.mk/en-Us/Details.aspx?itemID=4215

[Hellenicoz]

WORLD SCHOLORS CALL FOR END TO 'MACEDONIA' MISINFORMATION

With an impressive move, 222 scholars from around the world, members of the best known academic institutes, have sent a letter to the US government asking President Obama "to clean up some of the historical debris left in southeast Europe by the previous U.S. administration" and put an end to the misappropriation of history by the government of Skopje.

The first few scholars were motivated by the article in the Archaeology magazine, and the letter Stephen G. Miller, Ph.D sent in response, which Archaeology did not publish.

Since then, the list of scholars that have examined the evidence has been growing and 222 scholars have undersigned the letter to President Barak Obama.

The letter was accompanied by the documentation available here.

More information about the Classical Scholars from around the world, and their effort to set history straight, is available by visiting the site at Macedonia Evidence: The Scholars (macedonia-evidence.org)

The contents of the letter have as follows:

The Honorable Barack Obama
President, United States of America
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

We, the undersigned scholars of Graeco-Roman antiquity, respectfully request that you intervene to clean up some of the historical debris left in southeast Europe by the previous U.S. administration.

On November 4, 2004, two days after the re-election of President George W. Bush, his administration unilaterally recognized the “Republic of Macedonia.” This action not only abrogated geographic and historic fact, but it also has unleashed a dangerous epidemic of historical revisionism, of which the most obvious symptom is the misappropriation by the government in Skopje of the most famous of Macedonians, Alexander the Great.

We believe that this silliness has gone too far, and that the U.S.A. has no business in supporting the subversion of history. Let us review facts. (The documentation for these facts [here in boldface] can be found attached and at: http://macedonia-evidence.org/documentation.html)

The land in question, with its modern capital at Skopje, was called Paionia in antiquity. Mts. Barnous and Orbelos (which form today the northern limits of Greece) provide a natural barrier that separated, and separates, Macedonia from its northern neighbor. The only real connection is along the Axios/Vardar River and even this valley “does not form a line of communication because it is divided by gorges.”

While it is true that the Paionians were subdued by Philip II, father of Alexander, in 358 B.C. they were not Macedonians and did not live in Macedonia. Likewise, for example, the Egyptians, who were subdued by Alexander, may have been ruled by Macedonians, including the famous Cleopatra, but they were never Macedonians themselves, and Egypt was never called Macedonia.

Rather, Macedonia and Macedonian Greeks have been located for at least 2,500 years just where the modern Greek province of Macedonia is. Exactly this same relationship is true for Attica and Athenian Greeks, Argos and Argive Greeks, Corinth and Corinthian Greeks, etc.

We do not understand how the modern inhabitants of ancient Paionia, who speak Slavic – a language introduced into the Balkans about a millennium after the death of Alexander – can claim him as their national hero. Alexander the Great was thoroughly and indisputably Greek. His great-great-great grandfather, Alexander I, competed in the Olympic Games where participation was limited to Greeks.

Even before Alexander I, the Macedonians traced their ancestry to Argos, and many of their kings used the head of Herakles - the quintessential Greek hero - on their coins.

Euripides – who died and was buried in Macedonia– wrote his play Archelaos in honor of the great-uncle of Alexander, and in Greek. While in Macedonia, Euripides also wrote the Bacchai, again in Greek. Presumably the Macedonian audience could understand what he wrote and what they heard.

Alexander’s father, Philip, won several equestrian victories at Olympia and Delphi, the two most Hellenic of all the sanctuaries in ancient Greece where non-Greeks were not allowed to compete. Even more significantly, Philip was appointed to conduct the Pythian Games at Delphi in 346 B.C. In other words, Alexander the Great’s father and his ancestors were thoroughly Greek. Greek was the language used by Demosthenes and his delegation from Athens when they paid visits to Philip, also in 346 B.C. Another northern Greek, Aristotle, went off to study for nearly 20 years in the Academy of Plato. Aristotle subsequently returned to Macedonia and became the tutor of Alexander III. They used Greek in their classroom which can still be seen near Naoussa in Macedonia.

Alexander carried with him throughout his conquests Aristotle’s edition of Homer’s Iliad. Alexander also spread Greek language and culture throughout his empire, founding cities and establishing centers of learning. Hence inscriptions concerning such typical Greek institutions as the gymnasium are found as far away as Afghanistan. They are all written in Greek.

The questions follow: Why was Greek the lingua franca all over Alexander’s empire if he was a “Macedonian”? Why was the New Testament, for example, written in Greek?

The answers are clear: Alexander the Great was Greek, not Slavic, and Slavs and their language were nowhere near Alexander or his homeland until 1000 years later. This brings us back to the geographic area known in antiquity as Paionia. Why would the people who live there now call themselves Macedonians and their land Macedonia? Why would they abduct a completely Greek figure and make him their national hero?

The ancient Paionians may or may not have been Greek, but they certainly became Greekish, and they were never Slavs. They were also not Macedonians. Ancient Paionia was a part of the Macedonian Empire. So were Ionia and Syria and Palestine and Egypt and Mesopotamia and Babylonia and Bactria and many more. They may thus have become “Macedonian” temporarily, but none was ever “Macedonia”. The theft of Philip and Alexander by a land that was never Macedonia cannot be justified.

The traditions of ancient Paionia could be adopted by the current residents of that geographical area with considerable justification. But the extension of the geographic term “Macedonia” to cover southern Yugoslavia cannot. Even in the late 19th century, this misuse implied unhealthy territorial aspirations.

The same motivation is to be seen in school maps that show the pseudo-greater Macedonia, stretching from Skopje to Mt. Olympus and labeled in Slavic. The same map and its claims are in calendars, bumper stickers, bank notes, etc., that have been circulating in the new state ever since it declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Why would a poor land-locked new state attempt such historical nonsense? Why would it brazenly mock and provoke its neighbor?

However one might like to characterize such behavior, it is clearly not a force for historical accuracy, nor for stability in the Balkans. It is sad that the United States of America has abetted and encouraged such behavior.

We call upon you, Mr. President, to help - in whatever ways you deem appropriate - the government in Skopje to understand that it cannot build a national identity at the expense of historic truth. Our common international society cannot survive when history is ignored, much less when history is fabricated.

Sincerely,

NAME TITLE INSTITUTION

Harry C. Avery, Professor of Classics, University of Pittsburgh (USA)
Dr. Dirk Backendorf. Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz (Germany)
Elizabeth C. Banks, Associate Professor of Classics (ret.), University of Kansas (USA)
Luigi Beschi, professore emerito di Archeologia Classica, Universita di Firenze (Italy)
Josine H. Blok, professor of Ancient History and Classical Civilization, Utrecht University (The Netherlands)
Alan Boegehold, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Brown University (USA)
Efrosyni Boutsikas, Lecturer of Classical Archaeology, University of Kent (UK)
Keith Bradley, Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Professor of Classics, Concurrent Professor of History, University of Notre Dame (USA)
Stanley M. Burstein, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Los Angeles (USA)
Francis Cairns, Professor of Classical Languages, The Florida State University (USA)
John McK. Camp II, Agora Excavations and Professor of Archaeology, ASCSA, Athens (Greece)
Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, University of Cambridge (UK)
Paavo Castren, Professor of Classical Philology Emeritus, University of Helsinki (Finland)
William Cavanagh, Professor of Aegean Prehistory, University of Nottingham (UK)
Angelos Chaniotis, Professor, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford (UK)
Paul Christesen, Professor of Ancient Greek History, Dartmouth College (USA)
Ada Cohen, Associate Professor of Art History, Dartmouth College (USA)
Randall M. Colaizzi, Lecturer in Classical Studies, University of Massachusetts-Boston (USA)
Kathleen M. Coleman, Professor of Latin, Harvard University (USA)
Michael B. Cosmopoulos, Ph.D., Professor and Endowed Chair in Greek Archaeology, University of Missouri-St. Louis (USA)
Kevin F. Daly, Assistant Professor of Classics, Bucknell University (USA)
Wolfgang Decker, Professor emeritus of sport history, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Koln (Germany)
Luc Deitz, Ausserplanmassiger Professor of Mediaeval and Renaissance Latin, University of Trier (Germany), and Curator of manuscripts and rare books, National Library of Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Michael Dewar, Professor of Classics, University of Toronto (Canada)
John D. Dillery, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Virginia (USA)
Sheila Dillon, Associate Professor, Depts. of Art, Art History & Visual Studies and Classical Studies, Duke University (USA)
Douglas Domingo-Foraste, Professor of Classics, California State University, Long Beach (USA)
Pierre Ducrey, professeur honoraire, Universite de Lausanne (Switzerland)
Roger Dunkle, Professor of Classics Emeritus, Brooklyn College, City University of New York (USA)
Michael M. Eisman, Associate Professor Ancient History and Classical Archaeology, Department of History, Temple University (USA)
Mostafa El-Abbadi, Professor Emeritus, University of Alexandria (Egypt)
R. Malcolm Errington, Professor fur Alte Geschichte (Emeritus) Philipps-Universitat, Marburg (Germany)
Panagiotis Faklaris, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Denis Feeney, Giger Professor of Latin, Princeton University (USA)
Elizabeth A. Fisher, Professor of Classics and Art History, Randolph-Macon College (USA)
Nick Fisher, Professor of Ancient History, Cardiff University (UK)
R. Leon Fitts, Asbury J Clarke Professor of Classical Studies, Emeritus, FSA, Scot., Dickinson Colllege (USA)
John M. Fossey FRSC, FSA, Emeritus Professor of Art History (and Archaeology), McGill Univertsity, Montreal, and Curator of Archaeology, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Canada)
Robin Lane Fox, University Reader in Ancient History, New College, Oxford (UK)
Rainer Friedrich, Professor of Classics Emeritus, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. (Canada)
Heide Froning, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Marburg (Germany)
Peter Funke, Professor of Ancient History, University of Muenster (Germany)
Traianos Gagos, Professor of Greek and Papyrology, University of Michigan (USA)
Robert Garland, Roy D. and Margaret B. Wooster Professor of the Classics, Colgate University, Hamilton NY (USA)
Douglas E. Gerber, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, University of Western Ontario (Canada)
Hans R. Goette, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Giessen (Germany); German Archaeological Institute, Berlin (Germany)
Sander M. Goldberg, Professor of Classics, UCLA (USA)
Erich S. Gruen, Gladys Rehard Wood Professor of History and Classics, Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Christian Habicht, Professor of Ancient History, Emeritus, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (USA)
Donald C. Haggis, Nicholas A. Cassas Term Professor of Greek Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)
Judith P. Hallett, Professor of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (USA)
Prof. Paul B. Harvey, Jr. Head, Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, The Pennsylvania State University (USA)
Eleni Hasaki, Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Arizona (USA)
Miltiades B. Hatzopoulos, Director, Research Centre for Greek and Roman Antiquity, National Research Foundation, Athens (Greece)
Wolf-Dieter Heilmeyer, Prof. Dr., Freie Universitat Berlin und Antikensammlung der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (Germany)
Steven W. Hirsch, Associate Professor of Classics and History, Tufts University (USA)
Karl-J. Holkeskamp, Professor of Ancient History, University of Cologne (Germany)
Frank L. Holt, Professor of Ancient History, University of Houston (USA)
Dan Hooley, Professor of Classics, University of Missouri (USA)
Meredith C. Hoppin, Gagliardi Professor of Classical Languages, Williams College, Williamstown, MA (USA)
Caroline M. Houser, Professor of Art History Emerita, Smith College (USA) and Affiliated Professor, University of Washington (USA)
Georgia Kafka, Visiting Professor of Modern Greek Language, Literature and History, University of New Brunswick (Canada)
Anthony Kaldellis, Professor of Greek and Latin, The Ohio State University (USA)
Andromache Karanika, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of California, Irvine (USA)
Robert A. Kaster, Professor of Classics and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin, Princeton University (USA)
Vassiliki Kekela, Adjunct Professor of Greek Studies, Classics Department, Hunter College, City University of New York (USA)
Dietmar Kienast, Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Duesseldorf (Germany)
Karl Kilinski II, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Southern Methodist University (USA)
Dr. Florian Knauss, associate director, Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek Muenchen (Germany)
Denis Knoepfler, Professor of Greek Epigraphy and History, College de France (Paris)
Ortwin Knorr, Associate Professor of Classics, Willamette University (USA)
Robert B. Koehl, Professor of Archaeology, Department of Classical and Oriental Studies Hunter College, City University of New York (USA)
Georgia Kokkorou-Alevras, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)
Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Classical Studies, Brandeis University (USA)
Eric J. Kondratieff, Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient History, Department of Greek & Roman Classics, Temple University
Haritini Kotsidu, Apl. Prof. Dr. fur Klassische Archaologie, Goethe-Universitat, Frankfurt/M. (Germany)
Lambrini Koutoussaki, Dr., Lecturer of Classical Archaeology, University of Zurich (Switzerland)
David Kovacs, Hugh H. Obear Professor of Classics, University of Virginia (USA)
Peter Krentz, W. R. Grey Professor of Classics and History, Davidson College (USA)
Friedrich Krinzinger, Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, University of Vienna (Austria)
Michael Kumpf, Professor of Classics, Valparaiso University (USA)
Donald G. Kyle, Professor of History, University of Texas at Arlington (USA)
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Helmut Kyrieleis, former president of the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin (Germany)
Gerald V. Lalonde, Benedict Professor of Classics, Grinnell College (USA)
Steven Lattimore, Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of California, Los Angeles (USA)
Francis M. Lazarus, President, University of Dallas (USA)
Mary R. Lefkowitz, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities, Emerita, Wellesley College (USA)
Iphigeneia Leventi, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaly (Greece)
Daniel B. Levine, Professor of Classical Studies, University of Arkansas (USA)
Christina Leypold, Dr. phil., Archaeological Institute, University of Zurich (Switzerland)
Vayos Liapis, Associate Professor of Greek, Centre d’Etudes Classiques & Departement de Philosophie, Universite de Montreal (Canada)
Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Professor of Greek Emeritus, University of Oxford (UK)
Yannis Lolos, Assistant Professor, History, Archaeology, and Anthropology, University of Thessaly (Greece)
Stanley Lombardo, Professor of Classics, University of Kansas, USA
Anthony Long, Professor of Classics and Irving G. Stone Professor of Literature, University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Julia Lougovaya, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, Columbia University (USA)
A.D. Macro, Hobart Professor of Classical Languages emeritus, Trinity College (USA)
John Magee, Professor, Department of Classics, Director, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto (Canada)
Dr. Christofilis Maggidis, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Dickinson College (USA)
Jeannette Marchand, Assistant Professor of Classics, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (USA)
Richard P. Martin, Antony and Isabelle Raubitschek Professor in Classics, Stanford University
Maria Mavroudi, Professor of Byzantine History, University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Alexander Mazarakis Ainian, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaly (Greece)
James R. McCredie, Sherman Fairchild Professor emeritus; Director, Excavations in Samothrace Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (USA)
James C. McKeown, Professor of Classics, University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA)
Robert A. Mechikoff, Professor and Life Member of the International Society of Olympic Historians, San Diego State University (USA)
Andreas Mehl, Professor of Ancient History, Universitaet Halle-Wittenberg (Germany)
Harald Mielsch, Professor of Classical Archeology, University of Bonn (Germany)
Stephen G. Miller, Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Phillip Mitsis, A.S. Onassis Professor of Classics and Philosophy, New York University (USA)
Peter Franz Mittag, Professor fur Alte Geschichte, Universitat zu Koln (Germany)
David Gordon Mitten, James Loeb Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, Harvard University (USA)
Margaret S. Mook, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Iowa State University (USA)
Anatole Mori, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, University of Missouri- Columbia (USA)
Jennifer Sheridan Moss, Associate Professor, Wayne State University (USA)
Ioannis Mylonopoulos, Assistant Professor of Greek Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University, New York (USA).
Richard Neudecker, PD of Classical Archaeology, Deutsches Archaologisches Institut Rom (Italy)
James M.L. Newhard, Associate Professor of Classics, College of Charleston (USA)
Carole E. Newlands, Professor of Classics, University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA)
John Maxwell O'Brien, Professor of History, Queens College, City University of New York (USA)
James J. O'Hara, Paddison Professor of Latin, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA)
Martin Ostwald, Professor of Classics (ret.), Swarthmore College and Professor of Classical Studies (ret.), University of Pennsylvania (USA)
Olga Palagia, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)
Vassiliki Panoussi, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, The College of William and Mary (USA)
Maria C. Pantelia, Professor of Classics, University of California, Irvine (USA)
Pantos A.Pantos, Adjunct Faculty, Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology, University of Thessaly (Greece)
Anthony J. Papalas, Professor of Ancient History, East Carolina University (USA)
Nassos Papalexandrou, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin (USA)
Polyvia Parara, Visiting Assistant Professor of Greek Language and Civilization, Department of Classics, Georgetown University (USA)
Richard W. Parker, Associate Professor of Classics, Brock University (Canada)
Robert Parker, Wykeham Professor of Ancient History, New College, Oxford (UK)
Anastasia-Erasmia Peponi, Associate Professor of Classics, Stanford University (USA)
Jacques Perreault, Professor of Greek archaeology, Universite de Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
Yanis Pikoulas, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek History, University of Thessaly (Greece)
John Pollini, Professor of Classical Art & Archaeology, University of Southern California (USA)
David Potter, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Greek and Latin. The University of Michigan (USA)
Robert L. Pounder, Professor Emeritus of Classics, Vassar College (USA)
Nikolaos Poulopoulos, Assistant Professor in History and Chair in Modern Greek Studies, McGill University (Canada)
William H. Race, George L. Paddison Professor of Classics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)
John T. Ramsey, Professor of Classics, University of Illinois at Chicago (USA)
Karl Reber, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Lausanne (Switzerland)
Rush Rehm, Professor of Classics and Drama, Stanford University (USA)
Werner Riess, Associate Professor of Classics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)
Robert H. Rivkin, Ancient Studies Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County (USA)
Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Professor of Classics, The University of Vermont (USA)
Robert H. Rodgers. Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, University of Vermont (USA)
Nathan Rosenstein, Professor of Ancient History, The Ohio State University (USA)
John C. Rouman, Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of New Hampshire, (USA)
Dr. James Roy, Reader in Greek History (retired), University of Nottingham (UK)
Steven H. Rutledge, Associate Professor of Classics, Department of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park (USA)
Christina A. Salowey, Associate Professor of Classics, Hollins University (USA)
Guy D. R. Sanders, Resident Director of Corinth Excavations, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (Greece)
Theodore Scaltsas, Professor of Ancient Greek Philosophy, University of Edinburgh (UK)
Thomas F. Scanlon, Professor of Classics, University of California, Riverside (USA)
Bernhard Schmaltz, Prof. Dr. Archaologisches Institut der CAU, Kiel (Germany)
Rolf M. Schneider, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Ludwig-Maximilians- Universitat Munchen (Germany)
Peter Scholz, Professor of Ancient History and Culture, University of Stuttgart (Germany)
Christof Schuler, director, Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute, Munich (Germany)
Paul D. Scotton, Assoociate Professor Classical Archaeology and Classics, California State University Long Beach (USA)
Danuta Shanzer, Professor of Classics and Medieval Studies, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America (USA)
James P. Sickinger, Associate Professor of Classics, Florida State University (USA)
Marilyn B. Skinner, Professor of Classics, University of Arizona (USA)
Niall W. Slater, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Latin and Greek, Emory University (USA)
Peter M. Smith, Associate Professor of Classics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)
Dr. Philip J. Smith, Research Associate in Classical Studies, McGill University (Canada)
Susan Kirkpatrick Smith Assistant Professor of Anthropology Kennesaw State University (USA)
Antony Snodgrass, Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, University of Cambridge (UK)
Theodosia Stefanidou-Tiveriou, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece).
Andrew Stewart, Nicholas C. Petris Professor of Greek Studies, University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Oliver Stoll, Univ.-Prof. Dr., Alte Geschichte/ Ancient History,Universitat Passau (Germany)
Richard Stoneman, Honorary Fellow, University of Exeter (England)
Ronald Stroud, Klio Distinguished Professor of Classical Languages and Literature Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Sarah Culpepper Stroup, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Washington (USA)
Nancy Sultan, Professor and Director, Greek & Roman Studies, Illinois Wesleyan University (USA)
David W. Tandy, Professor of Classics, University of Tennessee (USA)
James Tatum, Aaron Lawrence Professor of Classics, Dartmouth College
Martha C. Taylor, Associate Professor of Classics, Loyola College in Maryland
Petros Themelis, Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, Athens (Greece)
Eberhard Thomas, Priv.-Doz. Dr.,Archaologisches Institut der Universitat zu Koln (Germany)
Michalis Tiverios, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Michael K. Toumazou, Professor of Classics, Davidson College (USA)
Stephen V. Tracy, Professor of Greek and Latin Emeritus, Ohio State University (USA)
Prof. Dr. Erich Trapp, Austrian Academy of Sciences/Vienna resp. University of Bonn (Germany)
Stephen M. Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics, University of New Hampshire (USA)
Vasiliki Tsamakda, Professor of Christian Archaeology and Byzantine History of Art, University of Mainz (Germany)
Christopher Tuplin, Professor of Ancient History, University of Liverpool (UK)
Gretchen Umholtz, Lecturer, Classics and Art History, University of Massachusetts, Boston (USA)
Panos Valavanis, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)
Athanassios Vergados, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
Christina Vester, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Waterloo (Canada)
Emmanuel Voutiras, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Speros Vryonis, Jr., Alexander S. Onassis Professor (Emeritus) of Hellenic Civilization and Culture, New York University (USA)
Michael B. Walbank, Professor Emeritus of Greek, Latin & Ancient History, The University of Calgary (Canada)
Bonna D. Wescoat, Associate Professor, Art History and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Emory University (USA)
E. Hector Williams, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of British Columbia (Canada)
Roger J. A. Wilson, Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire, and Director, Centre for the Study of Ancient Sicily, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada)
Engelbert Winter, Professor for Ancient History, University of Munster (Germany)
Timothy F. Winters, Ph.D. Alumni Assn. Distinguished Professor of Classics, Austin Peay State University (USA)
Michael Zahrnt, Professor fur Alte Geschichte, Universitat zu Koln (Germany)
Paul Zanker, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, University of Munich (Germany)

http://phantis.com/news/?newsID=20090521121233

http://macedonia-evidence.org/

[makidon]

I think you need to give it a rest. There are no "real" Greeks either. My family and tribe has always been called Makidon (Macedonian) in Serbia, Bulagaria, Romania, Albania, and in what is now Macedonia.
At least the Macedonian government allows us to speak our language and we have monuments and we are in the anthem. Greeks claim they like us but they don't allow us to speak our language. So give it a rest. We are Macedonian too and always have been called that by everyone and we don't speak Greek.
===================
Mak the Vlah

[Hellenicoz]

I think you need to give it a rest. There are no "real" Greeks either. My family and tribe has always been called Makidon (Macedonian) in Serbia, Bulagaria, Romania, Albania, and in what is now Macedonia.
At least the Macedonian government allows us to speak our language and we have monuments and we are in the anthem. Greeks claim they like us but they don't allow us to speak our language. So give it a rest. We are Macedonian too and always have been called that by everyone and we don't speak Greek.
===================
Mak the Vlah

Then your roots comes from the Slavic people whom arrived in the Macedonian region in the 6th century and speak the Slavic language. You are 'Slav Macedonian' & speak 'Slav Macedonian'.

Even your own leaders have quoted it many times in the past.

Quotes Made by the Leaders of F.Y.R.O.M. that Contradict their Efforts
"We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century ... we are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians."
Quote from FYROM'S President Mr. Kiro Gligorov.
(from the Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992, p. 35.)

"We are Macedonians but we are Slav Macedonians. That's who we are! We have no connection to Alexander the Greek and his Macedonia. The ancient Macedonians no longer exist, they had disappeared from history long time ago. Our ancestors came here in the 5th and 6th century."
Quote from FYROM'S President Mr. Kiro Gligorov.
(from the Toronto Star newspaper, March 15, 1992)
(after these comments, there was a terrorist attack on the ex-president of the F.Y.R.O.M. Kiro Gligorov. It nearly cost him his life)
22 January 1999: FYROM'S Ambassador in Washington, Mrs. Ljubica Acevshka, gave a speech on the present situation in the Balkans. At the end of her speech answering questions Mrs. Acevshka said:
"We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great." "Greece is FYROM'S second largest trading partner, and its number one investor. Instead of opting for war, we have chosen the mediation of the United Nations, with talks on the ambassadorial level under Mr. Vance and Mr. Nimitz."
In reply to another question about the ethnic origin of the people of FYROM, Ambassador Achevska stated:
"we are Slavs and we speak a Slav language."

24 February 1999: In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Gyordan Veselinov, FYROM'S Ambassador to Canada, admitted,
"We are not related to the northern Greeks who produced leaders like Philip and Alexander the Great. We are a Slav people and our language is closely related to Bulgarian."
He also commented
"there is some confusion about the identity of the people of this country."

[makidon]

I think you need to give it a rest. There are no "real" Greeks either. My family and tribe has always been called Makidon (Macedonian) in Serbia, Bulagaria, Romania, Albania, and in what is now Macedonia.
At least the Macedonian government allows us to speak our language and we have monuments and we are in the anthem. Greeks claim they like us but they don't allow us to speak our language. So give it a rest. We are Macedonian too and always have been called that by everyone and we don't speak Greek.
===================
Mak the Vlah

Then your roots comes from the Slavic people whom arrived in the Macedonian region in the 6th century and speak the Slavic language. You are 'Slav Macedonian' & speak 'Slav Macedonian'.

OXI - you could not be further from the truth. So either you don't know anything about the region and you are regurgitating some political line you've been fed, or you don't know anything about us or you're trying to ensconce the truth. We the Vlahs - Makidons - have been there before the Slavs and the Turks. And really, you should not play "who was here first" because Greeks are not some "pure race" that maintained continuity since Alexander, whether he was Greek or not. You know that very well as most modern Greeks are Anatolians, mixed with Turks, Armenians and Slavs and all kinds of Balkan people. So like I said - give it a rest. Let them call themselves Macedonians. But if you insist in your stubbornness, keep vetoing them - eventually you will be marginalized and bypassed. Your choice. Now, how about allowing the Vlahs in Greece to speak their own language? Do you think that would be a worthy cause?

[Hellenicoz]

I think you need to give it a rest. There are no "real" Greeks either. My family and tribe has always been called Makidon (Macedonian) in Serbia, Bulagaria, Romania, Albania, and in what is now Macedonia.
At least the Macedonian government allows us to speak our language and we have monuments and we are in the anthem. Greeks claim they like us but they don't allow us to speak our language. So give it a rest. We are Macedonian too and always have been called that by everyone and we don't speak Greek.
===================
Mak the Vlah

Then your roots comes from the Slavic people whom arrived in the Macedonian region in the 6th century and speak the Slavic language. You are 'Slav Macedonian' & speak 'Slav Macedonian'.

OXI - you could not be further from the truth. So either you don't know anything about the region and you are regurgitating some political line you've been fed, or you don't know anything about us or you're trying to ensconce the truth. We the Vlahs - Makidons - have been there before the Slavs and the Turks. And really, you should not play "who was here first" because Greeks are not some "pure race" that maintained continuity since Alexander, whether he was Greek or not. You know that very well as most modern Greeks are Anatolians, mixed with Turks, Armenians and Slavs and all kinds of Balkan people. So like I said - give it a rest. Let them call themselves Macedonians. But if you insist in your stubbornness, keep vetoing them - eventually you will be marginalized and bypassed. Your choice. Now, how about allowing the Vlahs in Greece to speak their own language? Do you think that would be a worthy cause?

It is very true that a good number of the Greeks living in Greek Macedonia are refugees from various Middle Eastern countries. However, it is also true that these Greeks are descendants of those ancient Greeks, including ancient Macedonians, who either colonized various areas of what presently are Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria, Turkey, the Middle East, or followed the greatest General of all times, Alexander the Great. These Greeks simply came home after at least two and one half millennia of spreading the Greek spirit, culture, language and civilization. Mother Greece made her lands available to her returning and thought to be lost offspring. It was the least she could do. After all they had every right to come home, just as the Jews did and they are still going home to Israel.

The northern region province of Greece is and has been 'Macedonia' for thousands of years. Now, I can continue to show you maps from before World War I and II with no sight of a country or region of 'Macedonia' where currently the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is, but only where Thessaloniki and rest of northern Greece it is recognised as 'Macedonia'.

During World War II, Yugoslavia's Marshal Tito established Western Macedonia as one of Yugoslavia's six republics. Before World War II, the area was referred to as VARDARSKA.

With the appropriation of the name "Macedonia", Tito also created a mythic language (Slavic in origin) called "Macedonian." The objective was territorial expansionism for Yugoslavia. Tito rewrote history by using foibles and propaganda to distort the integrity and heritage of the region.

Greece will never give it a rest, as we in the north of Greece have always been Macedonians and always will be. The region has been Macedonia and always will be. Once the Slavs, Vlahs etc left for Serbia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia or what ever direction they went, they had left 'Macedonia'. They cant just go and name the new region they went to as 'Macedonia'. See it already existed in northern Greece. There must be a distiguish between the two.

[makidon]

Greece will never give it a rest, as we in the north of Greece have always been Macedonians and always will be. The region has been Macedonia and always will be. Once the Slavs, Vlahs etc left for Serbia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia or what ever direction they went, they had left 'Macedonia'. They cant just go and name the new region they went to as 'Macedonia'. See it already existed in northern Greece. There must be a distiguish between the two.

They did NOT leave - they were pushed. And the ones that stayed were put in jail by the Grecoman for not using your alphabet and language. I really wish I knew what motivates you guys to outdo Turks in stubbornness and why you hang on to the "notion" that you are inheritors of the ancients. Even if you manage to force-Hellenize the few remaining Vlahs, it will be a hollow victory. Sooner or later the Turks will be in the EU and you will be taken over again like you were 600 years ago. It may be a better deal for you to be friendly to your minorities and neighbors. Just a thought. Meanwhile, enjoy your fleeting (and Pyrrhic) victory.

[Hellenicoz]

Greece will never give it a rest, as we in the north of Greece have always been Macedonians and always will be. The region has been Macedonia and always will be. Once the Slavs, Vlahs etc left for Serbia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia or what ever direction they went, they had left 'Macedonia'. They cant just go and name the new region they went to as 'Macedonia'. See it already existed in northern Greece. There must be a distiguish between the two.

They did NOT leave - they were pushed. And the ones that stayed were put in jail by the Grecoman for not using your alphabet and language. I really wish I knew what motivates you guys to outdo Turks in stubbornness and why you hang on to the "notion" that you are inheritors of the ancients. Even if you manage to force-Hellenize the few remaining Vlahs, it will be a hollow victory. Sooner or later the Turks will be in the EU and you will be taken over again like you were 600 years ago. It may be a better deal for you to be friendly to your minorities and neighbors. Just a thought. Meanwhile, enjoy your fleeting (and Pyrrhic) victory.

Most of them left because they were members of the Greek People's Liberation Army which fleg to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during Greek Civil War never returned to Greece because they are still wanted for war crimes. 28,000 children stolen by the Slav rebels after the 1948 civil war in Greece before we start making accusations about human rights. Very few of these children, many of whom are still in FYROM even today were returned to their parents even after huge UN and world pressure in the 1950's. This event in world history was & still is disgusting. If they want they can come back. Back in jail.

If you are from the Vlach or Aromanian ethnic group, do you still call yourself Macedonian because the ethnic Albanians dont want to be Macedonians?

[makidon]

We've been called "Makidon" by everyone for centuries. And that's what we have been calling ourselves... for centuries - regardless of what Albanians call themselves. But chances are that attempts to Hellenize Vlahs will succeed. But eventually the Turks will take over (again) by joining the EU and none of this will matter. History will repeat itself. It won't be the same, it will be slightly different. But the Turks will overcome Greeks again, as they did in the past. You could not stop them 600 years ago, you won't be able to stop them again. The takeover will not be by armed forces, it will be different. But you cannot stop them and chances are you will join up with them again as you did in the past.
You have not been very good stewards for the people of the Eastern Roman Empire. Certainly not for Vlahs anyway. Personally, I don't care. My people will be history in 20 years at the most. You have succeeded with us. You may succeed with the Slavic Macedonians. You will bow before the Turks. You became a nation because it was convenient for the French, Brits and Russians. Just hope they don't lose interest.

[Hellenicoz]

We've been called "Makidon" by everyone for centuries. And that's what we have been calling ourselves... for centuries - regardless of what Albanians call themselves. But chances are that attempts to Hellenize Vlahs will succeed. But eventually the Turks will take over (again) by joining the EU and none of this will matter. History will repeat itself. It won't be the same, it will be slightly different. But the Turks will overcome Greeks again, as they did in the past. You could not stop them 600 years ago, you won't be able to stop them again. The takeover will not be by armed forces, it will be different. But you cannot stop them and chances are you will join up with them again as you did in the past.
You have not been very good stewards for the people of the Eastern Roman Empire. Certainly not for Vlahs anyway. Personally, I don't care. My people will be history in 20 years at the most. You have succeeded with us. You may succeed with the Slavic Macedonians. You will bow before the Turks. You became a nation because it was convenient for the French, Brits and Russians. Just hope they don't lose interest.

You have missunderstood us. Greece have not attempted to Hellenize Vlachs. The topic is the "Macedonia Name Issue". The northern region Province of the Hellenic Republic (Greece) was Macedonia before the leader of Yugoslavia, Tito changed its Southern region's name from Vardarska to Macedonia. Our grandparents, great grandparents and many generations before that were Macedonians of Greece.

Greece has nothing against the Ethnic Albanians and Ethnic Vlachs of FYROM. Its the Ethnic Slavs whom want the sole rights on the Macedonia name when for thousands of years us Greeks in the north have been Macedonians.

This is why FYROM must have an official name which distiguishes itself from Macedonia in northern Greece. A name such as 'Northern Macedonia' I think would be a solution. All the citizens of the country would be recognised as 'Northern Macedonians'. You would be recognised as a Northern Macedonian citizen of Ethnic Vlach background. The Nationality of the Ethnic Vlachs, Ethnic Albanians, Ethnic Slavs and all Ethnic groups in the country would be recognised as Northern Macedonian. The name of your Ethnic identity will still be the same. In your case Vlach. Greece have a problem with the Ethnic Slavs calling themselfs and their language Macedonian. They are saying us northern Greeks from Thessaloniki are not Macedonians? It would make it easier if the Ethnic Slavs called themselfs 'Slavo Macedonians' and maybe the Northern Greeks called themselfs 'Aegean Macedonians'. Before you and the Ethnic Albnaians get offended, its only the Ethnic Slavs whom would be Slavo Macedonians and the Slav language would be Slavo Macedonian. There is a difference between Nationality and Ethnic identity.

I bet you would not be happy if the Ukranian Vlachs got independence from the Ukraine under the name of 'Vlach Republic' and recognised their Nationality as Vlachs. Thousands of years of Vlach history and now they are telling you that they are the only Vlachs.

[Hellenicoz]

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s DUI Gives Deadline For NATO
Skopje | 28 May 2009 |


The ruling ethnic Albanian party in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has given a deadline to its bigger coalition partner to solve the burning name row with Greece and move the country’s stalled Euro Atlantic integration forward by the end of the year.

“The grace period that (the Democratic Union for Integration), DUI gave to VMRO DPMNE ended after the (March) local election,” DUI’s vice President Teuta Arifi told local Alsat M TV on Thursday.


If the problem remains unsolved “we will have to seek new alternatives”, she said.


Greece blocked FYROM's entrance into NATO last year, demanding that FYROM changes its constitutional name first which collides with that of Greece’s own northern province.

Back then DUI gave VMRO DPMNE carte blanche to solve the issue on its own. But months of lengthy negotiations have not succeeded in resolving the issue.



The current stalemate has put DUI into an increasingly difficult position since it is facing pressure from its electorate and opposition Albanian parties to toughen its stance and put pressure on VMRO DPMNE to cut a deal with Greece, which would in turn open the door to NATO.

The impasse “creates unneeded inter ethnic tensions”, said Arifi.


Opinion polls show that ethnic Albanians, making up about one quarter of the population, are far more ready to compromise on the name in order to get the country into NATO. Former Yugoslav Macedonians on the other hand link the country’s name with their identity.

Arifi warned that the prospect of NATO and eventually EU membership is the most potent force keeping the country's Albanians and Slav Macedonians together, and the further this prospect is pushed away, the more precarious this relationship becomes.



“The only concept that can put these two people on the right course is NATO and EU. If the Albanians and Slav Macedonians are stripped from this perspective… then this is a direct jeopardy to the state’s existence, this is unacceptable,'' she said.



Arifi’s statement comes one day after DUI’s head Ali Ahmeti reiterated in Brussels after meting with high EU and NATO dignitaries that the party strongly wishes for a compromise on the name to be found that would unlock FYROM's NATO accession.


Media say the DUI is additionally annoyed with its governing partner, after Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu canceled his visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after it was downgraded to a ''working'' rather than an ''official'' visit.

[Hellenicoz]

FYROM PM Vows Name Referendum
Skopje | 01 June 2009 |


Any compromise between Skopje and Athens on the “name” issue will have to be approved by the people of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) via a referendum, FYROM Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski reiterated on Sunday.

Gruevski, who is also head of the largest ruling party, the centre-right VMRO DPMNE, made his statement during a ceremony marking the 18th anniversary of the party’s youth union, the local MIA news agency reports.


"Macedonia is doing everything in its power in this regard, in order to find a solution that will not harm the state and national interests," said Gruevski.


A swift solution on FYROM’s formal name would pave the way for the country’s speedy accession to NATO and remains the only issue blocking its membership in the alliance.


Last year, Athens blocked Skopje from joining NATO, arguing that the name Macedonia, the same name of Greece's northern province, implies that Skopje has territorial claims on the Greek region.


The intense UN-brokered solution seeking talks have been in vain. The last offer that the UN mediator in the row, Matthew Nimetz, put on the table was a set of proposed names containing the geographical prefix “Northern Macedonia” to distinguish the country from the Greek province.


The talks are expected to be restarted soon after Greece wraps up its European Parliament elections this month.


Some observers see Gruevski’s insistence on a referendum regarding this issue as a practical blockade of the resolution process, as opinion polls show that the majority of the population would not trade their name for speedy NATO accession.


The opposition parties accuse the prime minister of shirking responsibility and avoiding making a tough decision that could cost him future votes.

[Hellenicoz]

I'm thinking that Mr Nikola Gruevski does not have his country held highly and to his best interests. Rather he continues to play his propoganda scheme. The people of FYROM may have collectively decided that they are exclusively Macedonian's, but when another nation such as Greece has legitimate rights and objections to such exclusive ownership of a name and also has exclusive rights to the name based on geographical, historic and cultural realities, then a solution needs to be found do you not think Mr Gruevski??? Stop playing your nationalistic games it is only embarassing you and hurting your people. Why is it so hard to acknowledge historic, cultural and geographic realities. You are not Macedonians of the ancient race. You are merely a modern and falsely adopted version of slavic descent who by all means wishes to eradicate any traces of their slavic roots and exclusively own the Macedonian word and everything attached to the name. Well Mr Gruevski and company, it doesn't work like that.

THE PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE BY MR. NIMETZ

IS REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA-REPUBLIQUE MACEDOINE DU NORD

( NOT "NORTHERN MACEDONIA" .

I MUST STRESS THAT MANY COUNTRIES DID NOT AGREE TO FYROM'S ENTRY INTO NATO-GREECE DID NOT "BLOCK"

ALONE ITS ENTRY...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W-Do8cOPkc&feature=fvw







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8JZEUtG ... re=related