Pan-Macedonian Association Rebuts Skopjan Assertions

Pan-Macedonian Association Rebuts
Skopjan Assertions

May 9, 2007

The Honorable Carolyn Maloney
2331 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congresswoman Maloney,

On behalf of the Pan-Macedonian Association and as American citizens, descending from Macedonia, Greece, we would like to express our gratitude to you for sponsoring HR 356. Resolution 356 precisely depicts the problematic circumstances emitted by Greece’s northern neighboring State, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or simply the FYROM.

We have been made aware that a letter by the so-called “United Macedonian Diaspora” has been sent to you and as American citizens who have every right to refer to ourselves as Greek-Americans of Macedonian descent, we would kindly like to bring to our Representatives’ attention the following facts:

Mr. Koloski in his letter states: “In the 1900s, maps of Macedonia showed the northern region of Greece and the current Republic of Macedonia on the map as one. As an image, that is neither propaganda nor a hostile activity, because it is simply the region as it existed at that time.” Mr. Koloski fails to recognize the fact that during the Ottoman era which lasted for about 500 years (Greek Macedonia was liberated in 1912), there was no use of the term Macedonia (meaning the boundaries of the geographic or ancient Macedonia). The area of Macedonia was divided in two vilayets the vilayet of Thessaloniki and the vilayet of Monastiri (Bitola). Skopje was the capital of the Kossovo vilayet and was never part of the so-called geographic Macedonia.

Read letter sent by Skopjans to Congresswoman Maloney.

Text of U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 356 on FYROM

The President of the so-called United Macedonian Diaspora in his letter declares that “120 countries, including the United States have recognized the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name.” According to Interim Accord (Sept. 13, 1995) and under the aegis of UN (UN Resolutions #817 of April 7 and #845 of June 18) of the year 1993, the temporary name until both countries, Greece and the aforementioned State, reach a permanent solution about this issue, is “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, or simply The FYROM. Although we highly question the validity of the actual number of countries of his declaration, President Koloski’s assertion that 120 countries have recognized the FYROM as “Republic of Macedonia,” projects the intransigence of his State’s political leadership to not adhere to the international rules drawn by the UN.

It is unfortunate that President Bush on November 4, 2004, immediately following the elections, and after he secured the Greek vote and political contributions, erroneously recognized the FYROM as “Republic of Macedonia,” reversing a 60 plus year US policy, and disregarding the fact that in both World Wars, the Korean Conflict, and the Cold War, Greece was always an ally to our great country. The passing of Resolution 356 by the House of Representatives may disappoint the 38,051 individuals throughout the United States who unjustifiably claim an alleged “Macedonian” ethnicity: (see 2000 USA Census Bureau http://www.euroamericans.net/macedonian.htm ), but will reaffirm justice to the 1,153,307 or so Greek Americans (see 2000 Census: http://www.euroamericans.net/greek.htm ) who are witnessing the most horrible revision, undermining, and outright theft of their identity, history, and heritage, as well as a potentially destabilizing threat in the broader region of their ancestral homeland in South East Europe.

In reference to the so-called “Macedonian minority” within the borders of Greek Macedonia, how can Greece recognize such a minority when its 2,000,000 inhabitants of its Macedonian Province and also those of its Macedonian Greek Diaspora are all MACEDONIANS? It would be a dire error for any Greek administration to recognize only a few individuals in Greece as Macedonians and disenfranchise the plethora of its Macedonian Greek citizens. Doing so would destabilize and put at risk any administration that took such an action.

Also see:

Pan-Macedonian Association Responds to Milososki's Remarks

Greece has proved her friendship toward her northern neighbor, because she fully supports the existence of a country north of Greece with the interim name of the FYROM. Mr Koloski cannot deny Greece's positive stance toward the FYROM providing any assistance possible, including employment to the FYROM's citizens although the FYROM is returning the good neighborhood gesture with contempt and irredentism. It is the FYROM which refuses to honor their signature on the Interim Agreement.

Furthermore Greece supports the efforts of this State to join the EU and NATO, provided the official name of the country differentiates its citizens from the Macedonian Greeks, completely stops its propaganda emanating from the FYROM school books and the efforts of her Diaspora to usurp the Greek history, culture and identity through academic institutions, publications and the Internet as it is happening globally. These sentiments are expressed in all recent year resolutions at the annual conventions of the Pan-Macedonian Association: “We fully support the existence of a country north of Greece with the interim name of the FYROM. We support her efforts to join the EU and NATO…Further, we harbor no animosity of any ill feelings towards her citizens or her Diaspora.”

Mr. Milososki's utterance questioning the democratic values of Greece is totally unfounded. Neither Greece nor its Diaspora need lessons in democracy. The economist has published that Greece rating in the 22nd position, is ahead of France and the UK in democratic values, branded as “full democracy.” The FYROM was 68th, given the title of a "flawed democracy."
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2006/11/24/feature-01

Congresswoman Maloney, thank you and your colleagues for spearheading HR 356.

Sincerely,

Panos D. Spiliakos Nina Gatzoulis
Supreme President Supreme Vice-President

Cc: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
The Honorable Gus Bilirakis
The Honorable John Boehner
The Honorable Jim Costa
The Honorable Eliot L. Engel
The Honorable Luis Fortuno
The Honorable Elton Gallegly
The Honorable Ruben Hinojosa
The Honorable Robert D. Inglis
The Honorable Tom Lantos
The Honorable Thaddeus McCotter
The Honorable Brad Miller
The Honorable William Pascrell, J.
The Honorable Ted Poe
The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
The Honorable Linda T. Sanchez
The Honorable Albio Sires
The Honorable Mark Souder
The Honorable John S. Tanner
The Honorable Robert Wexler
The Honorable Joe Wilson

(Posting date 15 May 2007)

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