What does Europe have to do with the Greek-Macedonian Name Dispute?
Risto Stefov
November 18, 2008
By now we all know Greece´s story with regards to the Greek-Macedonian so-called "name dispute" and as JS Gandeto puts it in his article "Anatomy of a bankrupt ideology" published in the American Chronicle on November 11th, 2008 at this link; http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/81091 "In fact, they [Greeks] not only diffuse and distort the plight of the real Macedonians but go as far as to portray the Macedonians as "usurpers" of Greek history. This is a classic example of a thief´s mentality; in order to deflect attention from the crimes he has committed, the thief assumes the role of the victim and he cries foul".
What got my attention about the European involvement in the so-called "Greek-Macedonian" name dispute is an article I read entitled "No Macedonians in Macedonia, says Brussels" published by Makfax on November 13th, 2008 at this link: http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=131761&NrIssue=819&NrSection=10
The article goes on to say: "More shameful is the paragraph speaking about minorities in Serbia, in which the European Parliament uses the name Macedonians. This means that all Macedonians living outside Macedonia's borders can choose what to call themselves, while the Macedonians in Macedonia are still subjected to experiments of this type," Utrinski Vesnik's Brussels correspondent said in the front-page story with a headline "Brussels Renames us FYROMacedonians".
Why is this happening? Is Brussels trying to placate Greece or is there something deeper to this?
As I am in the process of doing research for my next book "Macedonian Struggle for Independence" I found some information that might explain why some European Union countries are behaving the way they are.
The Macedonian people´s problems are not new nor do they exclusively have to do with Greece. The Macedonian people´s problems began in 1878, first with the Russians and then with the Western Great Powers mainly Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain.
Even though Macedonians fought on Russia´s side in the Russian-Ottoman War of 1877-78 expecting Russia to help them liberate themselves, Russia sold them out by creating a greater Bulgarian state and handed Macedonia to the Bulgarians.
Then when the Western European Great Powers became involved and met at the Berlin Congress in 1878 the Macedonians were certain that their situation would be well looked after and Macedonia would be given autonomy just as Bulgaria was given autonomy. Unfortunately that did not happen. But worse than that the European Powers ignored the Macedonian people´s pleas and gave Macedonia back to the Ottomans. Even worse than that, knowing that the Ottomans would retaliate against the Macedonians, none of the Powers made sure that the Macedonians would not be harmed.
The Russian-Ottoman War was an absolute disaster for the Macedonian people especially for those who sacrificed their lives and died helping Russia. Instead of being grateful for the help they received and allowing the Macedonians to create a Macedonian state, the Russians sold them out to the Bulgarians. By signing the San Stefano treaty Russia agreed to the creation of a greater Bulgarian State which was to include Macedonian lands and people. Then as the Western Power intervened in the Berlin Congress, instead of sorting things out and giving Macedonia autonomy as they did to Bulgaria they gave Macedonia back to the Ottomans.
Instead of granting Macedonia real autonomy like they did for Bulgaria, the Great Powers offered empty words that lead nowhere. According to articles 23 and 62 of the Berlin Congress the Macedonian people were to receive political and religious autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. They were also promised political, religious and educational reforms which never materialized. Given that Macedonia was handed back to the Ottomans to do as they pleased, the situation was further aggravated by the Ottoman decision to bring Muslim settlers into Macedonia. Macedonia in fact became the dumping ground for renegades from the Ottoman army and for Muslims who escaped from Bulgaria, Bosnia, Serbia, Herzegovina and other regions from which the Ottomans lost territories. More than 60,000 Muslim families were dumped and disbursed in Macedonia to be accommodated in Christian homes and to become an economic burden of the Macedonian people.
After the Berlin Congress those Macedonians who stubbornly fought against the Ottomans fled to Serbia and Bulgaria, in fear for their lives. More than 200 Macedonian villages were emptied of their inhabitants. The ones that remained unfortunately faired the worst as the Ottomans hit them with new taxes to pay for the war damages and to supply the fast growing Ottoman military machine which by now numbered 80 battalions. The devastation in Macedonia was further exacerbated by the arming of Albanian Militias and allowing them to settle in Skopje and establish their own rule in Macedonia.
There was also a matter of the huge debt of money which the Ottomans had borrowed from the Western Powers that the Ottomans now had to pay back which again became a burden on the Macedonian people. By now Macedonian villages were paying over thirty different taxes which became a struggle for survival. It was during these times that Macedonians found themselves wishing to be liberated or dead because life the way it was, was not worth living.
Even before the Berlin Congress and before their fate was sealed by the Western Great Powers, leading Macedonians could not accept the idea of a Macedonia unified with Bulgaria so the decisions of the San Stefano Treaty were opposed. But after the Berlin Congress Macedonians were in disbelief and horrified by the actions of the Western European Great Powers especially when they gave Macedonia back to the Ottomans without any guarantees that the population would be protected from retaliation and harm.
In the eyes of the Macedonian people the Great Powers committed a cardinal sin. They sold out Macedonia and their Christian brothers for profit. No wonder some European Union states today are intolerant of the Macedonians. How could they recognize Macedonia and Macedonian people today when they were guilty of selling them out in 1878? To recognize the Macedonians today would mean that they would have to admit that they made a grave error in 1878. An error on the side of the Western European Great Powers however was no small disaster for the Macedonian people who a century and a quarter later are still fighting for their rights and freedoms.
But that was not the first time the Macedonian people were betrayed by European countries. In spite of the Macedonian people´s attempt to again liberate themselves in 1903 and create their own Macedonian state, they were again betrayed by allowing Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria to partition Macedonia by the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest to which the European Powers were signatories and again in 1919 after European borders were again recognized.
In 1945 the Macedonian people living in Greece, after helping to expel the Fascists and Nazis from Greece, came close to being recognized as Macedonians and here again none of the Western European states supported their recognition.
In 1991 when the Republic of Macedonia declared its independence most Western Europeans states again voted against the recognition of a Macedonian state.
Now we hear certain Western European states will not recognize that Macedonians are living in the Republic of Macedonia even though they recognize the Macedonians that live outside of Macedonia!
Does anyone really know what is going on?
It appears, at least to me, that Western Europe has a grudge against the Macedonian people. The sixty-four thousand dollar question however is why? Is it because of what Europe did to the Macedonians over the last century of so? Could Western Europeans have a guilty conscience which is manifesting itself in a negative way? There is but one solution for that, recognize Macedonia and the Macedonians and I am sure they will forgive you!
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
What got my attention about the European involvement in the so-called "Greek-Macedonian" name dispute is an article I read entitled "No Macedonians in Macedonia, says Brussels" published by Makfax on November 13th, 2008 at this link: http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=131761&NrIssue=819&NrSection=10
The article goes on to say: "More shameful is the paragraph speaking about minorities in Serbia, in which the European Parliament uses the name Macedonians. This means that all Macedonians living outside Macedonia's borders can choose what to call themselves, while the Macedonians in Macedonia are still subjected to experiments of this type," Utrinski Vesnik's Brussels correspondent said in the front-page story with a headline "Brussels Renames us FYROMacedonians".
Why is this happening? Is Brussels trying to placate Greece or is there something deeper to this?
As I am in the process of doing research for my next book "Macedonian Struggle for Independence" I found some information that might explain why some European Union countries are behaving the way they are.
The Macedonian people´s problems are not new nor do they exclusively have to do with Greece. The Macedonian people´s problems began in 1878, first with the Russians and then with the Western Great Powers mainly Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain.
Even though Macedonians fought on Russia´s side in the Russian-Ottoman War of 1877-78 expecting Russia to help them liberate themselves, Russia sold them out by creating a greater Bulgarian state and handed Macedonia to the Bulgarians.
Then when the Western European Great Powers became involved and met at the Berlin Congress in 1878 the Macedonians were certain that their situation would be well looked after and Macedonia would be given autonomy just as Bulgaria was given autonomy. Unfortunately that did not happen. But worse than that the European Powers ignored the Macedonian people´s pleas and gave Macedonia back to the Ottomans. Even worse than that, knowing that the Ottomans would retaliate against the Macedonians, none of the Powers made sure that the Macedonians would not be harmed.
The Russian-Ottoman War was an absolute disaster for the Macedonian people especially for those who sacrificed their lives and died helping Russia. Instead of being grateful for the help they received and allowing the Macedonians to create a Macedonian state, the Russians sold them out to the Bulgarians. By signing the San Stefano treaty Russia agreed to the creation of a greater Bulgarian State which was to include Macedonian lands and people. Then as the Western Power intervened in the Berlin Congress, instead of sorting things out and giving Macedonia autonomy as they did to Bulgaria they gave Macedonia back to the Ottomans.
Instead of granting Macedonia real autonomy like they did for Bulgaria, the Great Powers offered empty words that lead nowhere. According to articles 23 and 62 of the Berlin Congress the Macedonian people were to receive political and religious autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. They were also promised political, religious and educational reforms which never materialized. Given that Macedonia was handed back to the Ottomans to do as they pleased, the situation was further aggravated by the Ottoman decision to bring Muslim settlers into Macedonia. Macedonia in fact became the dumping ground for renegades from the Ottoman army and for Muslims who escaped from Bulgaria, Bosnia, Serbia, Herzegovina and other regions from which the Ottomans lost territories. More than 60,000 Muslim families were dumped and disbursed in Macedonia to be accommodated in Christian homes and to become an economic burden of the Macedonian people.
After the Berlin Congress those Macedonians who stubbornly fought against the Ottomans fled to Serbia and Bulgaria, in fear for their lives. More than 200 Macedonian villages were emptied of their inhabitants. The ones that remained unfortunately faired the worst as the Ottomans hit them with new taxes to pay for the war damages and to supply the fast growing Ottoman military machine which by now numbered 80 battalions. The devastation in Macedonia was further exacerbated by the arming of Albanian Militias and allowing them to settle in Skopje and establish their own rule in Macedonia.
There was also a matter of the huge debt of money which the Ottomans had borrowed from the Western Powers that the Ottomans now had to pay back which again became a burden on the Macedonian people. By now Macedonian villages were paying over thirty different taxes which became a struggle for survival. It was during these times that Macedonians found themselves wishing to be liberated or dead because life the way it was, was not worth living.
Even before the Berlin Congress and before their fate was sealed by the Western Great Powers, leading Macedonians could not accept the idea of a Macedonia unified with Bulgaria so the decisions of the San Stefano Treaty were opposed. But after the Berlin Congress Macedonians were in disbelief and horrified by the actions of the Western European Great Powers especially when they gave Macedonia back to the Ottomans without any guarantees that the population would be protected from retaliation and harm.
In the eyes of the Macedonian people the Great Powers committed a cardinal sin. They sold out Macedonia and their Christian brothers for profit. No wonder some European Union states today are intolerant of the Macedonians. How could they recognize Macedonia and Macedonian people today when they were guilty of selling them out in 1878? To recognize the Macedonians today would mean that they would have to admit that they made a grave error in 1878. An error on the side of the Western European Great Powers however was no small disaster for the Macedonian people who a century and a quarter later are still fighting for their rights and freedoms.
But that was not the first time the Macedonian people were betrayed by European countries. In spite of the Macedonian people´s attempt to again liberate themselves in 1903 and create their own Macedonian state, they were again betrayed by allowing Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria to partition Macedonia by the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest to which the European Powers were signatories and again in 1919 after European borders were again recognized.
In 1945 the Macedonian people living in Greece, after helping to expel the Fascists and Nazis from Greece, came close to being recognized as Macedonians and here again none of the Western European states supported their recognition.
In 1991 when the Republic of Macedonia declared its independence most Western Europeans states again voted against the recognition of a Macedonian state.
Now we hear certain Western European states will not recognize that Macedonians are living in the Republic of Macedonia even though they recognize the Macedonians that live outside of Macedonia!
Does anyone really know what is going on?
It appears, at least to me, that Western Europe has a grudge against the Macedonian people. The sixty-four thousand dollar question however is why? Is it because of what Europe did to the Macedonians over the last century of so? Could Western Europeans have a guilty conscience which is manifesting itself in a negative way? There is but one solution for that, recognize Macedonia and the Macedonians and I am sure they will forgive you!
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
Print
Share
Email
