THE IDENTITY OF MACEDONIANS

By NIKOS MARTIS, Former Greek Government Minister, President “Macedonian Hestia”

The Skopjeans adhere persistently to their usurped constitutional name “Macedonia”, because they want to be falsely considered as “Macedonians” and consequently descendants of Philip and Alexander the Great. Naming themselves “Macedonians”, they proceed as such with the haphazard actions of re-naming their two airports “Alexander the Macedonian” and “Apostle Paul” respectively. Furthermore in 2000 they published a voluminous book titled “28 centuries of glorious of Military History of the Macedonian people”, in which they mention their first victory against Greece in Chaeronia , their victories in Granicus and Issus etc! The said book is used in their military schools and since 2005 has been circulating in the English speaking worldwide.

The fact that the core of the problem with Skopje has always been the identity of the Macedonians, is not only proven by the above-mentioned actions, but also by the unanimous Resolution of the 15 European Nations, comprising the former European Market.

The late President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Karamanlis in his letter of the 3rd January 1992 addressed to his colleagues of the other European countries, in which he requested Skopje not to be named “Macedonia”, remarked that he himself was Macedonian and that the Skopjeans are Slavs, Albanians etc, who have no relation whatsoever to the Macedonians.

The Lisbon Summit Meeting of June 1992 concerning the issue of identity, decided unanimously to admit Skopje, stipulating however that it should not contain the word “Macedonia”.

Greece (i.e. Greek Parliament - Greek Government - Greek Members of the European Parliament) should stress to the EU, which is solely responsible for this matter – and not the UN or any third parties – that the EU owes it to is authority, its Declarations and according to Articles 2 and 3 of the Stability Agreement of 2001, to state bluntly to the Skopjeans that they cannot be called “Macedonians”. In case the EU does not do so, it would seem to accept that the late Constantine Karamanlis, the present Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and more than two million Macedonians, are not Greeks; and that the cultural foundations of the Europeans are not based on the Greco-Roman civilization, but the one forged by our neighbors, the Skopjeans.

The false assertion of the Skopjeans that they represent the “Macedonian Nation”, that there are “Macedonian minorities” and that they are “Macedonians”, which is strongly rejected by the Greeks, the Bulgarians, the Albanians and the Serbs, constitutes the sole danger of destabilization of the area.

Those who call this Skopjean State “Democracy of Macedonia” and the Skopjeans “Macedonians”, should not forget that this Democracy was fabricated by Tito and Stalin in 1944, as a consequence of the Italian fascist attack against Greece in 1940 and the German in 1941. They should also remember that according the admission of Hitler and many others, it was the heroic struggle of the Greeks that prevented Hitler’s victory, contributed to his defeat in Europe and led to the final victory of the Allies in WW II.

In 1942 the Frenchman Pierre Bourdan talking to the BBC said “As time goes by it will become clear that following the action of England in 1940 it was the braveness of the Greek people which contributed most to the preservation of the European civilization. This is what they should bear in mind those form Europe today. Every act of ingratitude to Greece would equal an act of betrayal to Europe”.