In 1994, Greece imposed an embargo on products from FYROM (except for food, medicine and humanitarian assistance), on claims that the adoption of a Greek name ("Macedonia") for the country, a Greek symbol (the Vergina Sun/Star) for its flag and certain articles in its constitution, hide irredentist designs against Greece. For the embargo to end, the flag, certain articles in its constitution, and the hostile propaganda have to be changed ("small package"), while the name can be decided in later negotiations.
1) Why does Greece dictate to FYROM its name, symbols and constitution?
Greece does not dictate to FYROM what name or flag to adopt, just
to choose any of the million possibilities that are not Greek or
offensive to Greeks. Countries have to choose their national symbols
based on International norms. (i.e. Can Syria employ the Nazi cross
as their flag, if they choose so? Can Cuba change its name to
Florida, employ the statue of Liberty as its flag and start
propaganda that the state of Florida in the USA belongs to Cuba, by
virtue of so many Cubans living there?)
Naming a country after a neighboring region is a de facto
irredentist strategy aimed at destabilizing the region, and hoping
that the country, will absorb the neighboring region.
2) Why does Greece object to the use of the `Vergina Sun' on the FYROM flag?
The Vergina Sun, the emblem of Philip's dynasty, symbolizes the
birth of our nation. It was the first time (4th century BC) that
the Greek mainland (city-states and kingdoms) with the same language,
culture, and religion were united against the enemies of Asia in one
league. At the same time the fractured Greek world grew conscious of
its unity. And, in this sense, we have never been apart since then.
The `Sun' was excavated in Greece in 1978, and it is sacred to us.
3) Why did Greece impose the embargo?
After talking with the FYROMian Government fruitlessly for 2 years
and going nowhere, then and only then did the Greek state implement
the partial embargo as last resort to advance the issue.
4) Why do you claim exclusive rights to the symbols of the ancient Macedonians?
We have linguistic, cultural, genealogical, and geographic ties to
the ancient Greeks and Macedons. They (FYROM) are mostly Slavs who
descended after 600 AD in the region, and have no ties whatsoever
(ancient Makedonia was within modern Greece since its inception).
Even after the great expansion by Philip the II and Alexander the
Great in the 4th century BC, perhaps even less than 10% of the FYROMian
land was part of the `enlarged kingdom'. The reader should realize
that the punitive expeditions of the Macedonians in the north, as
well as their imperial acquisitions in the Balkans and Asia did not
necessarily produce a `wider concept of Macedonia' - a country with
boarders extending to India. That would be most simplistic!
Pella, the capital of the ancient Makedones, was well within modern
Greek borders.
5) What proof do you have that the ancient Macedonians were Greek?
The vast majority of major historians believe that the ancient
Macedonians were Greek. Those who still remain skeptical, say that
they need more evidence before proclaiming the ancient Macedonians
as Greek. But no one says that ancient Macedonians were not Greek.
Recent excavations close to their ancient capital, Aigai, including
the discovery of the `tomb of Philip the II', reinforce the Greek
identity of the ancient Macedonians categorically.
In any case, all historians admit that by Roman times the ancient
Macedonians were fully homogenized with the rest of Greeks, and that
Macedonia stopped existing as a separate socio-cultural entity some
600 years before any contact with the first Slavs in the Balkans.
6) How can appropriating Greece's history, be irredentist?
History is the means for laying claims on foreign lands. The
Macedonian argument was promoted by the 3rd Commintern (USSR) and
their allies in the region just prior to WWII, to create an
independent greater Macedonia for social experimentation. Bulgarians
have said that Alexander the Great was a Bulgarian while occupying
Macedonia (Greek) on behalf of the Germans in WWII.
Tito sent 5,000 Yugoslavs and "Slav-Macedonians" to Greece after
WWII to work with their allies in the region to annex Makedonia
(Greek) while we were too busy fighting a civil war. These were the
same people that now live in FYROM. 3 times in the recent past the
same propaganda has been used as justification by different
interests (Commintern, Bulgaria, (S)NOF-Yugoslavia) to invade (or
try to) Greece. Even today, just when the name and flag were been
adopted in independent FYROM, VMRO and Gligorof were talking about
reclaiming "their" lands in Greece and Bulgaria.
7) Who populated the lands of modern FYROM in the past?
The ancient people inhabiting the area around Skopje, at the time of
the ancient Macedonians, were the Dardanians, and their land was
called Dardania. Throughout their modern history, the region now
occupied by FYROM was populated mostly by Bulgarians.
The creation of "Macedonia" (FYROM, SROM) was artificial.
Ex-Yugoslavs will attest to that. FYROM is comprised of Albanians,
Serbs, and Bulgarians and their language is a Bulgarian dialect with
a few Serbo-croatian words. Bulgarians will attest to that and
understand/speak "Macedonian".
8) What about their claim of a large minority in Greece?
After usurping the name and the flag, surprise! They start claiming
that Greeks in Macedonia (Greek) are a FYROM minority. After all we
all identify as Macedonians. Thus, we must be the same...
Some people in the Net claim 1 million minority in Macedonia (Greek).
The population of Macedonia (Greek) is 2 million. I am a Macedonian
(Greek) same with other Greeks on this group. We don't want anything
to have with FYROM. We are Greek. Finally the recent Euro-Elections
revealed only 10,000 supporting their cause (therefore probably a
FYROM minority). 10,000! Not fantasies of 1 million!
9) Why doesn't the Greek government recognize the "Macedonian" minority?
Greek parents have been sending their children to Macedonian schools
for years, expecting them to learn Greek, not Bulgarian. Macedonian
people (Greeks) are already a majority in Greece, with Macedonian
churches, schools and cultural centers teaching Greek and regional
dances and songs.
The Greek government can neither recognize a minority with the same
name, as the majority, nor build non-Greek schools and churches
with the same name. Greek courts have offered to open cultural
centers for their minority, under a different name (than
Macedonian). They have refused.
As long as they use the term "Macedonian" to describe their
nationality, their minorities in Greece and Bulgaria cannot
be recognized.
10) What are Greece's objections with FYROM's constitution?
There are two points of concern:
In their preamble, they define their FYROM state as a departure
from the " ...historic decisions of the Anti-Fascist Assembly of
the People's Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM)... ". The problem is
that ASNOM had called for the Macedonians in Bulgaria and other
countries to unite under Tito's rule.
Their language in article 49 is also problematic (too extensive to
go into here).
At Greece's request they have added 2 amendements stating that they
have no claims on neighbouring countries. Still, that is in
contradiction with their preample, and it is to their benefit
to rewrite those articles to avoid contradictions and vagueries in
their Constitution.
11) Does Greece have any territorial or other claims on FYROM?
In 1993, Serbia's President Milocevic, invited Greece to invade
FYROM. Greece declined it.
FYROM is surrounded by claims of Greater Albania, Greater Bulgaria
and Greater Serbia. Greece is the only one not interested in FYROM.
It is a poor, barren place with no Hellenic ties or history. Greece
has the beach-front property (Aegean), and the economy differential
between the two countries would only create problems for the
richer one (Greece).
12) Is Greece really afraid of FYROM?
Presently FYROM is too weak to threaten Greece militarily or
otherwise. However, considering that: