We offer
good… genocides!
by
Christianna Loupa*
Greek
people say: “Bad weather may leave, bad neighbour will stay”. Let’s
make a revision: Albania, on the one hand, and Fyrom and Bulgaria on the
other. According to the first, Greece committed a genocide against
Tsamides in 1944. Fyrom accuses our country of committing genocide against
“Macedonians” after the Balkan Wars of 1912 - 1913 and Bulgaria
against Bulgarians of “Macedonia” in 1948.
It
is a common place though, that Fyrom dreams of “Greater Macedonia” and
would like Greek borders to be relocated below mount Olympos. I think the
article published in Washington Times of 14th October 2007,
attributed to Skopjan Metodija Koloski, president of the Fyrom propaganda
organization “United Macedonian Diaspora”, is already well known:
“…The real reason
for the "dispute" [about the name] is that, since Greece
forcibly took possession of a large part of historical Macedonia following
the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, it has denied the existence of the Macedonian
people and ruthlessly pursued a policy of forced assimilation. These
actions constitute genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention (to which
Greece is bound).
Specifically,
Greek governments have harassed, jailed and even tortured those who spoke
Macedonian or otherwise practiced their cultural heritage. Greek
governments also forcibly changed city names, family names, and even names
on gravestones from their true Macedonian names to "Greek" ones.
And, as documented in recent U.S. State Department Human Rights Reports,
Greece has even denied entry into Greece to U.S. citizens, born in Greece,
but whose names are not "Greek" (e.g., Gatzoulis is
"Greek", but Gatzova isn't). Greece took these actions
"with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical,
racial or religious group"...”.
On
the other hand, one can read in the website of Macedonian Scientific
Institute of Sofia, Bulgaria, the following: “Greece attempted even
genocide of Macedonian children, in order to turn Macedonia Hellenic.
Despite this cruelty, Macedonia remains Bulgarian in origin, customs,
language, history. Greece has only the unjust occupation”. In addition,
in the same site, Thessaloniki is presented as “Solun”. (!!)
I
don’t know about you, but, personally speaking, I am very confused. Three
genocides in a few years’ time! I have to admit it: Never have I
realized how bloodthirsty people we are! Kemal and Adolph seem like
angels, compared with us! It’s a pity indeed, that they are not alive.
They would absolutely be so proud of us!
“The
term "Macedonia" has always been used to delineate a wider
geographical region, approximately 51% of which is part of Greece, 38% of
which is in Fyrom, and 9% of which is in Bulgaria”, noted Mrs. Dora
Bakoyannis, in her article in Wall Street Journal of 1st April
2008.
“Not
only does the government in Skopje”, she continued, “insist on being
the sole claimant to the name of an entire area - the largest part of
which lies outside its borders - but authorities in Fyrom insist on
portraying Greek Macedonia as "occupied" territory. While
government leaders declare they have no designs on Greek territory, they
refuse to remove such claims from textbooks, state maps and national
documents. Only a few weeks ago, the country's prime minister was
photographed laying a wreath on a monument to which a map of the so-called
"Greater Macedonia" was attached; the map incorporated a
considerable part of Northern Greece, including Greece's second-largest
city, Thessaloniki”.
It
is obvious, nevertheless, that we have to go through all this absurd
situation, because of the United States interests in the Balkans and
Eastern Europe. The recipe is old and tested: Divide and Conquer. As a
matter of fact, it is well known that people have nothing to argue for,
while “the Strong” have a lot to gain from a conflict. Bear in mind,
that there are gas and oil pipelines planned, that will run from
Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast to Albania’s Adriatic Coast and obviously
run through Fyrom. So, as long as Fyrom lets the pipelines pass through
the country, the Americans will seize control - as a counterbalance to
Russia - and will continue to support the neighbour. That is why the
United States object to the agreement between Greece and Russia for the
South Stream natural gas pipeline.
Apart
from that, president Bush feels that he has a moral obligation to support
Skopje, because it sent a few dozen soldiers to Iraq, when most people
didn’t support him, as noted former US national security adviser Brent
Scowcroft.
In
April 1999, British General Michael Jackson,
the commander in “Macedonia” during the NATO bombing of Serbia,
explained to the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore: “Today, the
circumstances which we have created here have changed. Today, it is
absolutely necessary to guarantee the stability of “Macedonia” and its
entry into NATO. But we will certainly remain here a long time so that we
can also guarantee the security of the energy corridors which traverse
this country.”
As
far as our country is concerned, a positive conclusion seems to have come
out: Hellenes can be united, under difficult circumstances and everyone of
us fullheartedly supported
the Prime Minister and the Greek representation in Bucharest, approving
the veto that Greece has exercised and satisfied that our voice was
finally heard.
*Christianna Loupa is a lawyer and author of the books “Meta
tin katastrofi, Smyrni - Katohi” and “Stous Dromous tou Pepromenou”
