One needs to go through the ‘agreement’ in detail to see that this document submitted by Greece for Macedonia to sign and ratify in change of name is a document that supercedes and terminates the original Interim Accord of 1995 where Greece blockaded Macedonia, crippling the economy, and forcing the country to sign the original document to commence name negotiations.
To the layman, Historical Macedonia was partitioned in 1913 as a result of the 1913 Balkan Wars and divided amongst Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and the remainder came under the Kingdom of Serbia which began the formation of Yugoslavia.
Relative freedoms were enjoyed within Yugoslavia and basic human rights for Macedonians. This was not the case for Macedonians falling under occupied territories behind those imposed borders. Greece, in particular, began a brutal regime of sustained cultural and ethnic genocide of Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia. All names were changed by the Greek regime – toponyms, mountains, villages, rivers, and even worse, Macedonians had their own names forcibly changed. A process of forced assimilation denying basic human rights to converse in Macedonia led to unrest and assisted in the Greek civil war, where Macedonians were further cleansed and forced to assimilate as “Greeks”.
President Ivanov has recently rejected the “agreement” in its entirety when presented by the Zaev administration, which is arguably an installed quisling government who have consistently gone against the Macedonian Constitution, one prime example is Ahmeti illegal installation as speaker.
The “Agreement” has so many concessions and capitulation of Macedonian sovereignty, that one needs to go through each point to highlight the injustices Greece is imposing.
Greece starts off the document naming themselves as the First party, and Macedonia as the Second Party – throughout the document, Macedonia is not named other than by a geographical and demographically qualifier “Northern”.
Greece states that this document supercedes the Interim Accord of 1995 on its ratification, and terminates it, along with the ongoing name negotiations.
Greece states the shortened name will be “North Macedonia”.
That the nationality will not be just Macedonian but “citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia”.
Country codes that Macedonia under the ISO – International Organisation for Standardisation will be changed from MKD to NM or NMK.
All references to the country will proceed at all times with the demographic qualifier as an adjective – North Macedonia, in all instances, in all trademarks, commercial names, and brand names.
This is particularly disturbing, where the Macedonian diaspora is concerned- one must oppose this on an international level – where Greece is imposing legal ratification of Macedonian organisations being renamed.
Greece also enforces on the signing of the document that it is immediately lodged with the Macedonian parliament for agreement and immediate ratification, and an immediate referendum if Macedonian parliament wishes to call, followed by Constitutional amendments all to take effect before the end of 2018.
Each point is detailed, and as part of the process that is undertaken in the document another demand is that Macedonia must notify all international, regional organisations and member states of the UN for all usages and purposes and that “Macedonia” is ceased to be used in any official capacity including both erga omnes and domestic, regional purposes, and that all official documentation be replaced within 5 years, once again, including all internal usage.
One cannot comprehend how any country can be forced to change its name, and its Constitution, and have these demands enforced, to the point obliterates the identity of a nation.
That is not the worst of the document – as one falls into the Orwellian rabbit hole of the “Agreement”, it becomes a reflection of the forced assimilation on Aegean Macedonians as referenced further on.
With the Constitutional amendments, the document goes onto state that the process is done in one step – en bloc with just one amendment. And also reference a political transition within 5 years – this is absolutely incredible, who Macedonia is to capitulate and acquiesce and forego its own democratic process.
And just in case there are any errors, omissions, or demands not met in regards to “reference of the name” Greece is given the supreme right to demand it is rectified immediately.
The document goes onto demand exactly how Macedonia continues with the EU and NATO process membership. One starts wondering who the newly forged identity is, as it yields to its supreme ruler.
Falling deeper into the rabbit hole comes a glaringly frightening section of the “Agreement “ where Macedonia must forego its own democracy and freedom of democracy for its citizens – One can only describe this as Orwellian – where Greece dictates that no individual, any 3rd country ( Australian Macedonians am looking at you !), or organisations, or group, may gather in protest or be deemed by Greece as secession and subversive, and demand Macedonia provide full details of these organisations or individuals to Greece immediately ,. How this works under International law and basic human rights to freedom of speech and expression in peaceful protest, is mind-boggling.
Article Two goes in detail, the process of which Macedonia is to continue on its application for membership to the EU and NATO, and legal requirements to be met.
Whilst going through the “Agreement” decided to check the dictionary meaning of,
“Agreement”;
| synonyms: | accord, concurrence, consensus, harmony, accordance, unity, unison, concord |
and then decided to check dictionary meaning for “negotiation”;
- discussion aimed at reaching an agreement. eg. “a worldwide ban is currently under negotiation“
| synonyms: | discussion(s), talks, consultation(s), parleying, deliberation(s), conference, debate, dialogue; |
And in both, a commonality throughout is one that is a consensus, harmony, unity, and in accordance with , at no point throughout the “Agreement” are any concessions made by Greece, that Macedonia could be requesting especially in regards to the blatant abuse of basic human rights of Macedonians behind the 1913 enforced border.
The Zaev administration has lodged no arguments against the “agreement” and appear are wholeheartedly ready to enforce the capitulation of the Macedonian identity, name, culture. The Agreement worsens in regards to this and goes onto correct everything about the Macedonian nation that makes it, Macedonian.
Where Article 3 denies basic human rights to freedom of speech, basic human inalienable tight to identity and self-determination, Greece nails it in the next section.
Greece rather hypocritically goes into detail about possible future territorial claims, and how they are protected under the agreement – not so much for Macedonia deciding to annex Aegean Macedonia – but, denying the existence of Aegean Macedonians, as being the same Macedonians the country was divided from. In an actual “Agreement” this would be where Zaev administration would insist on basic human rights to self-determination for its oppressed minorities. In an actual agreement, Greece would have something to concede, in their good neighbourly relations. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Article 5. 1. Macedonia’s new godfather Greece decides to talk about the spirit and be guided by spirit of freedom of democracy, fundamental freedoms and has thrown in the UN Declaration of Human Rights, that is , until reading onto POINT 2….. that neither of the parties to the Agreement will use any of the listed International Human Rights Laws, to fight for point 1.
Therefore, Macedonia must acquiesce, name, identity, rescind any freedom of speech and democratic right to protest, spy on all of its Macedonian citizens and immigrants in the west, and notify Greece of all individuals that protest against this.
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING!
Article 6 begins with its friendly, good, conceding bilateral relations and then elaborates further that any freedom of speech is quashed or be seen as hostile for those that do not agree with bleak subservience or be seen to be citing chauvinistic racism, hostility, revisionism, and that BIG BROTHER must immediately quash this.
It quite astoundingly goes onto state, that the if Macedonia does not quash or notify Greece of any such individuals, organisations and PRIVATE companies, then legal ramifications will follow. How this will be enforced with the Macedonian diaspora is debatable, though considering the delight EU has met with the “Agreement” it does not bode well for any Macedonian worldwide.
Suddenly, the right to self-determination is being listed as …propaganda..under this article.
If to this point, the reader is not totally perplexed, or, rightly incensed at giving up their basic human rights to the Greek state, particularly the Macedonian diaspora, it gets worse.
Article 7 brings up HISTORY and CULTURE.
And here we go around the mulberry bush, with Greece, once again laying claim to inventing Earth and humanity.
Apparently, in regard to Macedonian history and culture, Macedonians cannot state they have a Macedonian culture or history. ( at this point, I am actually exploding having read the tweets endorsing the agreement by Carl Bildt and other EU masterminds).
Greece now claims that Macedonian history is all Hellenic, as is the culture, civilization and heritage.
Apparently, those from Northern Macedonia are no longer Indigenous to the region as they have been for thousands of years but have arrived from some interplanetary new galaxial space planet.
My emotions ranged from, sorrow, anger, amusement and have evolved to satire at this point, and still absolutely astounded at what level of intellect Zaev and his foreign minister hold, to present this document to President Ivanov.
Document still goes on, and if it is not enough that we have capitulated on name, identity, history, land, culture, this article also alludes to a brand new Macedonian language that has suddenly evolved – what a shame Greece neglects to include the Hellenic language of 1829 for the newfound Greek state by Britain with the Bavarian new monarch installed.
The last point goes onto state that nothing is intended to be a denigration.
If it is not intended to denigrate and deny the very existence of the Macedonian nation, then what is exactly NOT being denigrated. So the Macedonian language is a South Slavic language according to the Agreement.
At this point, one is wondering what is left of the Macedonian identity. It gets worse when we reach article 8;
Article 8 effectively follows on that Macedonia must eliminate and change all of its historical symbols, and cultural “patrimony”.
In effect, this finalizes the wipeout of the Macedonian identity, within 6 months of the ratification of the Greek “agreement” that all symbols, monuments, public buildings, and infrastructure obliterate everything within the Republic or face repercussions from Greece, for disrespecting their wishes.
The Zaev administration has already changed the name of the International airport in Skopje, the capital and removed the name “Alexander the Great”. In addition, Zaev has removed the highway name from Alexander the Great highway to “friendship highway”.
Conceding to Greece demands has led from signing the Interim Accord 1995 to negotiate on a new name for Indigenous Macedonians to the region, to obliterating the Macedonian identify.
Further to this, the 16 rays Macedonian sun must be removed in its entirety, the original Macedonian flag that Macedonia gave up to Greek demands.
This also sets a dangerous precedent for the Macedonian diaspora.
To add further insult to injury, Greece is also demanding toponyms within the Republic to be changed in accordance to their obscene demands. : “use of endonyms over exonyms”
Point 5 of Article 8 demands a formation of a “joint interdisciplinary committee” within 30 days of ratification of the “agreement” where Greece provides their panel of experts on “historic, archaeological and educational matters” to “revise” ( please read this as to DESTROY ) all textbooks, historical maps, literature , historical sources, teaching guides and historical atlases, citing their reasons that this is irredentist and revisionist, and will provide new rewritten textbooks for education purposes.
Greece effectively is wiping out, with systematic ethnic and cultural genocide, the identity of the Macedonian people.
The “agreement” further goes onto state the processes, for ratification interferes in Macedonia’s political climate and constitution and goes on further to reiterate that once the Agreement is ratified, it is irreversible.
If the Zaev administration continues on this dangerous path, and approves this entire capitulation of the Macedonian name, identity, culture, history, and accepts Greece demands, Zoran Zaev will go down in history, as the new Judas, the traitor to the Macedonian cause. President Ivanov rightly refused to even consider ratifying the “agreement”.
The Macedonian diaspora will have issues with the Macedonian name, including trademarks, organisations registered and will also have issues with Greece demanding individuals names, who dare exercise democratic freedom of speech, the right to civilly protest against the annihilation of their very identity, and have serious legal repercussions.
One cannot comprehend what the current quisling government is standing to benefit, for handing over the Macedonian name and identity.
A bleak future awaits Macedonians, but, whether Greece and the new friendship with Zaev realize this or not, we are Indigenous Macedonians, we have existed for thousands of years, we still exist and we will continue to exist, within our hearts and souls.
May God save Macedonia and her people!
You can read the English version of the “Agreement” HERE.
You can read the Macedonian version of the “Agreement” HERE.
The Above piece is the opinion of writer Julie Corby.
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