Macedonian Newspapers in Bulgaria and Greece to Close

1 "#Macedonian Newspapers in #Bulgaria + #Greece to Close" http://www.independent.mk/articles/16382/Macedonian+Newspapers+in+Bulgaria+and+Greece+About+to+Close … The #EU + @USAIDMacedonia are the hangmen of the MK people

2 They have given $ gazillion to #Albanians #Gypsies #Turks #Gay #Transvestites #Transgender But not #1_Euro_for_Macedonia_ns_in_Greece

3 All the while, @GruevskiNikola + @ZoranZaev are in #Brussels selling out #Macedonia for 30 pieces of silver The sellout could not happen

4 Without the cooperation of the entire #Macedonian political class who shamelessly "present" themselves to EU hypocrites like cats in heat

5.Lead by @VPetreski @AnaPetruseva @tanjatania @kefremovski @BalkanInsight @epi_mk @birnbalkans @Macedonia_en @georgesoros

Macedonians in Greece - Greek Helsinki Monitor (Links)

		Greece: Report on the Macedonian minority
		Greece: Inhuman refusal of entry and denaturalization of ethnic Macedonians in Greece
		Macedonian diaspora leaders met UN envoy Matthew Nimetz
		Greece: Rainbow's presentations in the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the OSCE
		Greece: Macedonian minority party in UN conference & excluded from meeting with Greek diplomat
		Greece: US State Department continues to misrepresent the Macedonian minority in Greece
		Greece: Regarding the recent US State Department Report on Human Rights Practices in Greece
		Greece: European Free Alliance Youth Coordinator visits EFA-RAINBOW
		Greece: Macedonian primer promoted in Thessaloniki
		Bulgaria: EFA-Rainbow urges European Union to end discrimination of Macedonians in Bulgaria

If Macedonians in Greece were treated like Gypsies

By David Edenden

My grandfather learned to read English by reading the stories about the Toronto Maple Leafs in the newspaper.

One day at his house, I saw an in-depth article in the paper about Gypsies in Skopje. This was in the 1980's. It said Gypsies had their own suburb, city councilors, a Member of Parliament, and I believe they could learn their Rom language for a few hours a week and I think a radio show in their own language.

Many commentators have praised Macedonia for being relatively accepting of Gypsies, as opposed to their neighbors. 

My thought: If Macedonia is a model for the treatment of Gypsies in Eastern Europe, they they must be really treated like sh** in those countries.

I can't remember the article very well but my grandfather's reaction, I do remember very well.

I was watching quietly, and impatiently, as he read and re-read the article making sure, I guess, that he understood the whole thing. 

When he finished he took off his glasses, and slightly trembling, he said in a quivering voice full of emotion:

"If Macedonians in Greece were treated the way that Gypsies are treated in the Republic of Macedonia, I would be happy".

Мојот повикот за "Гранде Коалицијата"

Од "Дејвид Еденден"
By "David Edenden"

@GruevskiNikola 
@Zoran_Zaev 
@Sekerinska 
@independent_mk 


Мојот повикот за "Гранде Коалицијата" (Извинете мојата "село дијалект")
(My Call for a "Grande Coalition (in English) 1 јуни, 2008! http://the-macedonian-tendency.blogspot.ca/2008/06/june-1st-time-for-grande-coaliton-in.html … ...



Тоа е сега 14:00, недела Јуни 1, 2008 (Њу Jорк Време) и анкети за да се затвори во македонските избори.

Повикувам на главните македонски партии и двете албански партии да се разгледа формирање на "Гранде Коалицијата", на тој начин што Германија го усвои од време на време. Предностш

1. Во однос на економските политики, сите партии се залагаат за приватизација и економска интеграција со ЕУ.

2. Во однос на надворешната политика, на сите страни поддржува членството во НАТО. Обединет фронт ќе бара НАТО да го прифат грчкото вето и да признаеме Македонија.

3. Сите партии се залагаат за правата на етничките Македонци да се утврди на сопствениот етнички идентитет. Сите партии, претпоставувам, во корист на борбата за човекови права на етничките Македонци кои живеат во Грција и Бугарија.

4. Повеќето конфликт меѓу политичките партии се чини дека да се биде над поделбата на патронат и на "Гранде Коалицијата ќе ја подели покровителство именување поправедно и борба против корупцијата со повеќе дури и рака.

5. Сите народи на Македонија ќе биде во обединета пред се соочуваат грчките обиди за дестабилизација на Македонија, која ќе доведе до граѓанска војна во Македонија, како што многумина сега предвидуваат. Ова е во ничиј интерес, освен грчки расисти.

Janusz Bugajski Has Seen the Light ... All is Forgiven

Balkan Expert: US and EU Should Pressure Greece to Resolve Macedonia's Name Issue - Independent.mk:

US diplomat and Balkans expert, Janusz Bugajski, believes that the United States and the European Union must pressure Greece to solve the name dispute with Macedonia and have the country accepted to NATO in a matter of months, while at the same open to open the EU accession process.

Bugajski, who currently works at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington DC, argues that if Greece refuses to abide to international law, it should be cast out from organizations like NATO ad EU.

"I believe that this issue has lasted for too long. We, the United States, and the European Union, need to explain to Greece that it is simply too late to keep having this issue and it needs to be settled. If pressure needs to be applied, fine by me. I believe that the Europeans could have conditioned Greece to solve the issue and resolve its relations with its neighbors, particularly with Macedonia, when they gave Greece financial aid during the crisis. But, it is not too late to achieve this, exerting certain pressure on Greece, even by expelling it from some organizations if it refuses to solve the issue, and in the meantime, to involve Macedonia increasingly, primarily in NATO," Bugajski told the Macedonian Radio Television in an interview in Washington DC.


Asked if this is a frozen conflict in the Balkans, Bugajski says that Macedonia is like a state that is frozen by the Greek veto, and left out from further Western integrations. Bugajski believes that wider reasons to resolve the issue exist, now that the region is caught up in the fall out of the Ukraine crisis.

"Keeping Macedonia out from NATO and the EU is bad for the region. This issue needs to be resolved or bypassed as soon as possible, and have Macedonia join both these organizations. Without EU and NATO membership, Macedonia could gradually fall under the influence of Russia, and not only Macedonia, its neighbors too. Russia is using Macedonia's exclusion from NATO, and the issues between the Balkan countries to increase its influence in the region, and will continue to do so in the future. Greece will be guilty for helping Mr. Putin create instability in the Balkans," Bugajski concludes.

A possible solution to the name issue, Bugajski sees in the 2011 International Court of Justice verdict, which says that Greece violated international law when it vetoed Macedonia's entry into NATO at the 2008 Bucharest Summit. Bugajski believes that the international community should pressure Greece to respect the verdict, the international law, and the 1995 Interim Accord it signed with Macedonia, under which Greece is obliged not to block Macedonia's integration provided it takes place under its interim reference."



'via Blog this'

An Open Letter to Matthew Nimetz

An Open Letter to Matthew Nimetz

Mediator, Macedonia/Greece “Name Dispute"

Nov 11, 2014

David Edenden:

I understand that you will call a new meeting with Macedonian and Greek representative to discuss the long standing “name issue” on Nov. 12,2014

We can agree that these talks, after 20 years, have not been a success and we can agree or disagree on which side shoulders most of the blame.

However, the framework that these talks have held is surely part of the problem.

1 Secrecy

The original concept was to conduct the all negotiations in secret has, in retrospect, not been very useful. It was supposed to give negotiators the freedom to discuss sensitive issue frankly so that a just compromise could be achieved.

However this secrecy has fueled a low level but constant wildfire of speculation, rumors and conspiracy theories … on both sides

Proposal

• Release all documents relating to the name issue, letters, proposals, and memorandums … a document dump … to historians, journalists and politicians to help better understand the issues.
• Encourage both Greece and Macedonia to release their documents.
• Encourage the US and UK as well as other countries to release documents from their archives from WW2 to the present.

2 Educating the People of Greece and Macedonia

As a result of the secrecy, people of both countries are really not aware of the position of the other country … only what is fed to them … as propaganda, by their own side. We have to find a mechanism whereby propaganda can be overwhelmed by facts and truth.

Proposal

Hold a week long conference … in the form of a “trial” ... in public … on TV … “whereby both sides can present their arguments to a “jury of experts” … chosen by you for their knowledge. The jury will rule on the following issues.

• Did Tito  “invent” the Macedonian language.

OR did he “recognize” it. Review and discuss the background to the Macedonian language

Georgi Pulevski  "A Dictionary of Three languages" (1875)

Krste Misirkov  “Ön “Macedonian Matters” (1903)

Greek Government  “ABECEDAR” (1925)

Horace Lunt   A Grammar of the Macedonian Literary Language

• Statues and Place Names

Does the government of Macedonia have the right to name any place or stature as they see fit.

• The Rights of Macedonians in Greece

The plight of the Macedonians in Greece has been viewed as a peripheral issue that is not within the scope of your negotiations. This has been a the core mistake of the negotiations.

It speaks to culture, identity and language. The can be no lasting reconciliation between Greece and Macedonia until the rights of Macedonians in Greece are secured.

If not, Greece will launch a 100 year long campaign to rename Macedonians in the history books, government census, film festivals, textbooks not as Macedonians but as “Northern Macedonians”, “Vardar Macedonians”. Greece will be relentless and will not stop

Macedonians in Greece have been subject to “forced assimilation” via name changes to people and villages, pressure regarding work, justice etc.

If this is not “cultural genocide” what is?

What are they called in Greece for official purposes

What rights do they have

Are these rights consistent with EU values

What is the status of “Begalsi”.. Macedonian refugees from the Greek Civil War

3 History

The issue of history is complex and subject to misunderstanding, myth and mischief.

Proposal

Two historians, one Macedonian, one Greek will be asked to write a brief … two or three page synopsis  … on the history of the useage of “Macedonian”. It should start with the era of Alexander the Great to present day.

It would give journalists, historians, politicians and governments a template on how to discuss Macedonia and Macedonians. It will then be presented to the conference.

In Macedonia:

Macedonians and Albanians  OR

Macedonian Slavs and Albanians or 

Makedonsko/Macedonian and Albanian

In Greece:

Ethnic Macedonian and Greek Macedonians OR

Skopians; Slavophone/Slavic; Dopii (Locals); Ethnic Macedonians and Greek Macedonians

????? and Greek Macedonians

The historians should be those raised in the outside the Balkans where they drink from the cool waters of “”western rationality” rather than the hot springs of the Balkans.

My suggestion:

Andrew Rossos (Macedonia)

Gregory Jusdanis (Greece)

4 Where to go from here

After the spring conference, both parties will continue to negotiate over the summer. If agreement cannot be reached, the issue back to the UN General Assembly in September 2015

Spring        2015 Conference

Summer     2015 Negotiations

September 2015 Un General Assembly

Brussels Shows No Remorse for racist EU Soldiers

By David Edenden

Greek (EU) soldiers chanting that they will drink the blood of Macedonians, Albanians and Turks.

Now when Macedonians soccer fans chant racist slogans against black players … it becomes an international incident. But EU solder racist chants don't even get a message.

It seems that the EU media can separate the “good EU” in Brussels from the “bad EU” in the local capitals. (Cyprus, Greece, Hungary etc)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02kg4hg6Y3E&feature=youtube_gdata_player …

The Macedonian government protested to Athens, but they really should have protested to Brussels.

Keep the South Stream Pipeline

By David Edenden

Good article on the South Stream. The US/EU are trying to force Macedonia to sacrifice its national interests on the altar of their anti-Russian geopolitical machinations.

Macedonia, US, Russia and the South Stream pipeline

By Sasho Manevski, August 8, 2014
Translated and edited by Risto Stefov rstefov@hotmail.com

 Round table talks, organized by the South Eastern European Coalition and the Richard Lugar Institute for diplomacy, were held on July18, 2014 in Washington covering “Energy concerns and opportunities in South Eastern Europe after the G7”.

The South Eastern European Coalition is made up of a coalition of various ethnic organizations operating in this part of the region with aims “to contribute to a better American foreign policy which reflects on the common interests and goals of ethnic groups in the United States, that share common American values.”

The kind of approach taken by these non-governmental lobby groups follows the anti-Russian action taken by the American government. ...

Macedonia has a poorly developed infrastructure with a gas pipeline running from Deve Bair to Skopje with a capacity of 800 thousand cubic metres of gas expandable to 1.2 billion cubic metres and utilization of about 20%. Currently, only Strumitsa is gasified, with work being done to gasify Skopje and a small gas infrastructure in Kumanovo.

The United States had 22 years to show leadership in the region and in Macedonia and to invest in its energy and gas infrastructure. But in place of being encouraged and led by the United States to develop our energy needs, we are told to stay away from South Stream and seek other sources from which to buy our energy.

The Macedonian government, on the other hand, has signed an agreement with the South Stream project. The Macedonian side, in a separate deal, has also signed a contract to return Russian debt to Macedonia as a remnant of the Yugoslav debt. With this agreement, the Russian company will build part of the gas infrastructure in Macedonia, from Deve Bair to Negotino. It will also convert the Negotino electric generation station to gas which will then deliver cheap electricity to the Macedonian people, now imported at high cost. Also, the path that the gas pipeline will take will allow more cities and industrial facilities in Eastern Macedonia to connect to it, thereby further realizing economic benefits that are necessary for this poor region.

In other words, Macedonia has made a deal with Russia not only to supply it with gas but to also develop its necessary gas infrastructure.

And as such, South Stream, which does not pass through the Ukraine, in itself is an alternative to our current pipeline, which so far has been repeatedly blocked from delivering Russian gas to Europe. Given the current situation in the Ukraine it is expected that next winter the Ukraine will politicize delivery of Russian gas to Europe, which would then disrupt gas supplies to Europe, and perhaps to Macedonia.

Our economy that uses gas will be damaged under this scenario and we will be forced to start using more expensive fuels in order to continue production and conduct other activities. There would be no danger of this happening if we connect to South Stream, as an alternative, because South Stream does not pass through the Ukraine.

In other words, South Stream will bring only benefits to Macedonia. At the same time, let us not forget that Macedonia currently pays a high price for gas because it is a small user, and because there are no alternative supply options. To have the Russian gas as an alternative, the price of gas will not be much cheaper because the amounts supplied will be small, but it will definitely be cheaper than the current price. Under current conditions, using Russian gas will be a cheapest fuel option, costing about the same as firewood, which is much cheaper than gasoline, electricity, oil...

It should be more than obvious to everyone that Macedonia signed a contract with Russia in order to improve its gas infrastructure, reduce energy costs and thus improve Macedonia’s economic position, which will supply the Macedonian people and Macedonian industries with a steady source of cheap energy and which will benefit all who are in need of energy.

In other words, South Stream and the contract to build a gas infrastructure are of strategic interest to Macedonia.

The Government of Macedonia, despite American efforts, has not deviated from this contract with Russia. Ivanov recently publicly endorsed South Stream.

Macedonia needs alternatives and should be approached to join the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, but under no circumstances should it be expected to give up South Stream. Nor is it necessary to place Macedonia in scenarios similar to those of the Ukraine - either you are with us or with them.

A Macedonian Tells The Scots What To Do

By David Edenden

As a Canadian and Macedonian I urge the Scottish people to vote for continued union with the UK. My wife is of Irish and Scottish heritage so I have more than passing interest in Scotland.

In the Balkans, I opposed the collapse of Yugoslavia, even though it brought independence to Macedonia. I would have preferred the EU to force Yugoslavia, through sanctions,  to stay together in the same way they are forcing Bosnia to stay together. I would have also insisted that Bulgaria, in order to join the EU, would first have to join Yugoslavia, making it a complete "union of south slavs republics" (USSR? ...maybe not). 

Notwithstanding the various Balkan wars, language and culture could have bound these diverse peoples together in a workable federation ... with a large Olympic team.

The disruption in trade and economic relations with the sudden appearance of seven new borders is the main cause of economic stagnation in the Balkans, not war or corruption as has often been reported. It has been over 20 years since independence, and only now does Macedonia have the same GDP as it did 20 years ago.  Macedonia had autonomy ... control over its own republic, working language, film, TV, and universities. Independence was not worth it just to have the right to its own currency and an Olympic bobsled team.

I urge the political class in the UK and Scotland to look to Canadian federalism as a  model for the UK. In Canada we have one province, Saskatchewan, that has a "labour/socialist" government, off and on since 1945 with a socialist political culture right beside Alberta which has a "Texas" style free enterprise political culture. If Scotland had the powers of a Canadian province when the North Sea Oil was discovered, it would have controlled the development as well as the revenues. At the same time, it would, like  Alberta, have paid into a common fund for distribution to the poorer provinces.

We also have Quebec with French as a working language and the French civil code as law. So if you want to make Gaelic the working language ... knock yourself out. Macedonian was the working language of Macedonia even when it was part of Yugoslavia.

My suggestion, using Canada as a model, devolve uniform powers to regional assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as create one (or more if so inclined) for England for a true symmetrical  relationship. ("Geordie Liberation Front" and "Cornish Revolutionary Army" ... now it your chance!)

I thought ... and still do ... that Macedonians can be Macedonian and Yugoslav at the same time. Therefore The Scots can also be British. 

People of Scotland do have an emotional and cultural affinity for Britain that will remain no matter what the outcome. Unionists, however, must provide a logical coherent alternative to the romance of independence.

Putin's Food Ban ... An opportunity for Macedonia

By David Edenden

Below are  my comments to an article about Putin's food ban.

Putin's ban on EU/US food imports is a great opportunity for Macedonian agriculture, wine and even clothing.

However, the US and EU will put tremendous pressure on Macedonia to comply with EU policy even though Macedonia will be allowed to join the EU ..."when the polar ice caps melt". 

The sanctions on Russia were designed to have a minimal impact on the EU member states. I am sure that no one in the EU gave a second thought to Macedonia's interest.

Gruevski ... stand firm ... stand tall.

Putin's Strategy Behind the Food Ban

"The Kremlin certain in its cynicism, as usual, underestimates the principles of Western leaders and their willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of the idea of ​​European solidarity"

1. He is right. The "principles of Western solidarity" has led the EU to support cultural genocide in the name of solidarity with Greek racist policy against its own ethnic Macedonian minority and the Republic of Macedonia with regard to the "Macedonian Name Farce".

2. The US wants to turn Russia, with regard to foreign policy, into Germany and Japan ,,, countries that mind their own business and give the US a free hand in foreign policy. (By the way, I think this was the best policy for Russia). Just look at the furious reaction of the US chattering classes against France when it impudently dared to criticize Bush's invasion of Iraq ... remember "freedom fries".

3. President Obama's boycott of the Sochi Olympics because of Putin's anti-gay laws ... then shortly after paying a respectful visit to Saudi Arabia, where they hang gays, was not well received in Russia.

4. Putin is playing the long game. His policy is not primarily geared to break the EU sanctions since having an existential threat serves him well. It is import substitution, not only for food, manufactured goods and financial services but also for cultural ideas.

Unanswered questions:

1. What were the sanctions imposed on Russia after the Soviets invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia?

2. Why has Putin managed to maintain the support of the Russian chattering classes? Could it be the relentless US/EU/Nato anti-Russian actions with regard to Russian oil and  gas pipelines?

3. Pierre Eliot Trudeau saw "federalism" a THE solution to the modern state as a replacement for the "nation state". Did the US/EU/Nato enthusiasm for "national freedom" for Yugoslav republic put a knife in the heart of the federalist option? (Note: Ukraine vigorously rejected a "federalized Ukraine)