Hague Judgement Reinforces Need For Macedonia To End Shameful Name Negotiations – OpEd

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Not that any more incentive should be needed to stop negotiating your own name, but in a 15-1 vote, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled today that Greece violated the United Nations’ sponsored Interim Accord (a 1995 “agreement” between Macedonia and Greece) when it vetoed the Republic of Macedonia’s entry to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in April 2008.

Following the Greek veto, in November 2008, Macedonia lodged an application at the ICJ arguing that Greece had violated the terms of the 1995 agreement between the two countries. Under the accord, Greece pledged not to block Macedonia’s entry into international organisations under the so called United Nations’ provisional reference, “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.

Greece initiated the nonsensical “name dispute”, objecting to Macedonia’s name, in an effort to detract from its policy of non-recognition and persecution of its large Macedonian minority.

Ironically, it was not until 1988, when Greece realised that independence for the Republic of Macedonia was imminent, that it renamed “Northern Greece” to “Macedonia.” Prior to this, Greece’s policy was that Macedonia did not exist.

Despite Greece’s intense propaganda campaign, more than 130 countries (over two thirds of all UN members, and including four of five UN Security Council members) have recognised the Republic of Macedonia.

While today’s decision will be perceived by many as a victory for Macedonia, the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) and Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) urge Macedonians to put the decision into some perspective. Though the judgement demonstrates that Greece cannot be trusted to abide by international agreements, it does not endorse the Republic of Macedonia’s name, nor does it put an end to the disgraceful name “discussions” between Macedonia and its southern neighbour. Therefore to ‘support’ or ‘welcome’ today’s ICJ decision, merely denotes an endorsement for the continued use of the demeaning and racist “FYROM” reference and an acceptance of the destructive 1995 Interim Accord.

The AMHRC and MHRMI have long demanded that the Macedonian government put an end to the name “negotiations” with Greece and today’s ICJ judgment reinforces the obvious need for such a move. These “negotiations” are racist and contrary to the concept of human rights and indeed, the spirit of the UN charter itself.

Furthermore, MHRMI and AMHRC call on Macedonians worldwide to continue their support of the Our Name is Macedonia campaign, which demands that Macedonia immediately end all negotiations over its name.

4 thoughts on “Hague Judgement Reinforces Need For Macedonia To End Shameful Name Negotiations – OpEd

  • December 6, 2011 at 11:18 pm
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    To fanatics MHRMI and AMHRC,

    what’s shameful is you (and your apologists) pretending to not notice FYROM’s changing ethnic narrative into “ancient Macedonians” and “united Macedonia” rhetoric.

    ‘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.’ – FYROM´s Ambassador to Canada Gyordan Veselinov, Ottawa Citizen Newspaper, February 24 1999

    “We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century … We are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians” – Kiro Gligorov, FYROM’s first President, Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992

    ‘We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great.’ – FYROM’S Ambassador Ljubica Acevshka, speech to US representatives in Washington on January 22 1999

    “The whole story about Ancient Macedonia sounds undoubtedly very nice. However, there is a great problem, a huge hole of about 2,000 years during which we have neither oral nor written tradition, nor a single scientific argument” – former Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, FOCUS, 31 March 2008

    “The creation of the Macedonian nation, for almost half of a century, was done in a condition of single-party dictatorship. In those times, there was no difference between science and ideology, so the “Macedonian” historiography, unopposed by anybody, comfortably performed a selection of the historic material from which the “Macedonian” identity was created. There is nothing atypical here for the process of the creation of any modern nation, except when falsification from the type of substitution of the word “Bulgarian” with the word “Macedonian” were made.” -former FYROM foreign minister Denko Maleski

    http://www.utrinski.com.mk/?ItemID=C7A7DD4ECD45C946BF6573284EC01164

    Reply
  • December 6, 2011 at 11:23 pm
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    MHRMI and AMHRC, write:

    “Ironically, it was not until 1988, when Greece realised that independence for the Republic of Macedonia was imminent, that it renamed “Northern Greece” to “Macedonia.” Prior to this, Greece’s policy was that Macedonia did not exist.”

    Pure gibbeirsh. All that occurred in 1988 was a federal ministry was created that included the name Macedonia.

    Greece has been using the name Macedonia within Greece to reference the region, churches, schools, newspapers, and organziations since liberating the region from Ottoman rule during the Balkan wars.

    You are liars.

    Reply
  • December 6, 2011 at 11:24 pm
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    (1878)

    DECLARATION OF THE TEMPORARY GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA

    “To the Governments of the European powers”
    The long lasting sufferings which the respectable governments have heard about from their representatives, and which by now have reached a state of stressful despair, have obliged the inhabitants of Macedonia to take up arms in order to defend their lives, their honour and property. Calling a meeting today the representatives of the various communities in Macedonia, overthrew the Sultan´s tyrannical authority, declared the union of Macedonia with mother Greece, and chose us in order to form the Temporary Government of the revolution with the obligation to ask from the Christian super powers their mighty protection for the justification of our fight…(Macedonia) is ready to be freed and connected to mother Greece, even if it needs to be delivered to fire and disaster rather than continue living under the tyranny of various Turkish notables. They destroyed and violated the honour and sanctity of family life. All promises and obligations that the Turkish authorities gave to its subjects have proved by now to be nothing more than purposely sly and deceptive. The Turkish government has several times granted rights but tyranny has never been loosened. On the contrary, our misfortunes became endless and horrible because this government has neither power nor authority. Therefore, we were forced to seek our arms so that we may die as men as Greeks if we are not allowed to live like logical and free men.”
    Signed] In Litohoro, Mt. Olympus [on] 19th February, 1878 [by the members of]
    The Temporary Government of Macedonia:

    http://historyofmacedonia.wordpress.com/2010/09/04/macedonian-history-fyrom-propaganda-manipulation-sources/

    Reply
  • December 9, 2011 at 3:42 am
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    How much $$$$$$$ does greece owe the macedonians forced out after the civil war? …………pause your verbal attacks over history that was written by the winners & fragments of written books.Life is too short.

    Reply

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