Photo credit: Craig Kelly (Facebook) The Macedonian League condemns Australian MP Craig Kelly's position on the 'Macedonia Naming Dispute' at a rally he attended in Sydney on April 23, 2017, organised by FYROM’s diaspora.
At the rally, Mr. Kelly emphatically stated, "Macedonians" [sic] have every right to call their country "Macedonia" [sic]. In other words, he stated that the southern Slavs, who are totally unrelated to the indigenous Greek population of Macedonia proper, have every right to call their country by the Greek regional name ‘Macedonia’. Obviously, Mr. Kelly is unaware that in 1900 Vasil Kunchov, a paid Bulgarian ethnographer serving the interests of Bulgaria, coined the region of the FYROM “Macedonia.”
The Macedonian League's National Security Expert, Marcus A. Templar (Professor Emeritus in Political Science - Strategic Intelligence), had this to say about Mr. Kelly‘s statement:
At the rally, Mr. Kelly emphatically stated, "Macedonians" [sic] have every right to call their country "Macedonia" [sic]. In other words, he stated that the southern Slavs, who are totally unrelated to the indigenous Greek population of Macedonia proper, have every right to call their country by the Greek regional name ‘Macedonia’. Obviously, Mr. Kelly is unaware that in 1900 Vasil Kunchov, a paid Bulgarian ethnographer serving the interests of Bulgaria, coined the region of the FYROM “Macedonia.”
The Macedonian League's National Security Expert, Marcus A. Templar (Professor Emeritus in Political Science - Strategic Intelligence), had this to say about Mr. Kelly‘s statement:
| No country has the right to take as its Constitutional name an appellation of a neighboring land aiming at the eventual claim and appropriation of the said land under the excuse of inherent right. Anyone who understands international law should inform Mr. Craig Kelly about it. The right of self-determination applies only to the political status of a region (General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960). It is the same right that Skopje’s Slavic minority-majority keeps refusing to give its own minorities, especially its largest minority of the country, the Albanians. Mr. Kelly as a lawmaker of Australia should know that the UNSC watchdog of world peace disapproves excuses for breaching international law for a few votes. If as a result of Mr. Kelly’s views and the views of people like him, a hot conflict breaks out in the Balkans, his name will be one of the first in the prosecutor’s dossier at The Hague as one of the perpetrators against peace and crimes against humanity. Negligence, apathy, incompetence, political expediency and populism are not morally adequate justifications nor valid legal defenses. |
In his attempt to reach out to the Greek community, Mr. Kelly has gone on record stating he is well-aware of Greece's connection to the heritage of ancient Macedonia, but went on to say that the modern issue is not historical. In this one statement, Mr. Kelly is correct - the issue is no longer historical, but political. It is a serious national security matter for Greece and the entire Balkan region.
During the rally itself, anti-Hellenism by the FYROM’S racist ultra-nationalist diaspora was on full display, directly in front of Mr. Kelly. Thousands of attendees were waving red flags with the ancient Greek Pan-Hellenic star - the 16 ray Star of Vergina, originally found on Spartan vases and Cretan coins as far back as the 6th century BC.
The Macedonian League wants an explanation from Mr. Kelly, issued to both the Australian government and the Greek community, as to why he attended a rally knowing full well that the map of a "United Macedonia" (incorporating the sovereign Greek region of Macedonia) was depicted front and centre and throughout the rally? Why did he attend a rally depicting a poster with a slogan referring to the supposed partition of a country that has never existed?
When Mr. Kelly sees the phrases "For a United Macedonia" on the bottom of these posters as well as other slogans such as “Macedonia for Macedonians“, he probably sees (in his mind) images of unity within the FYROM between the Albanians and the Slavs. However, for the Slavs of the FYROM, "United Macedonia" means exactly what it has always meant since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991 - the creation of their fantasy land (with an outlet to the Aegean sea) as depicted on the poster below incorporating Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian and Albanian territories. Clearly, this is not a force for political stability in the Balkans! If Mr. Kelly was unaware of this concept, he now knows and has no further excuses to be photographed with such paraphernalia in the future.
During the rally itself, anti-Hellenism by the FYROM’S racist ultra-nationalist diaspora was on full display, directly in front of Mr. Kelly. Thousands of attendees were waving red flags with the ancient Greek Pan-Hellenic star - the 16 ray Star of Vergina, originally found on Spartan vases and Cretan coins as far back as the 6th century BC.
The Macedonian League wants an explanation from Mr. Kelly, issued to both the Australian government and the Greek community, as to why he attended a rally knowing full well that the map of a "United Macedonia" (incorporating the sovereign Greek region of Macedonia) was depicted front and centre and throughout the rally? Why did he attend a rally depicting a poster with a slogan referring to the supposed partition of a country that has never existed?
When Mr. Kelly sees the phrases "For a United Macedonia" on the bottom of these posters as well as other slogans such as “Macedonia for Macedonians“, he probably sees (in his mind) images of unity within the FYROM between the Albanians and the Slavs. However, for the Slavs of the FYROM, "United Macedonia" means exactly what it has always meant since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991 - the creation of their fantasy land (with an outlet to the Aegean sea) as depicted on the poster below incorporating Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian and Albanian territories. Clearly, this is not a force for political stability in the Balkans! If Mr. Kelly was unaware of this concept, he now knows and has no further excuses to be photographed with such paraphernalia in the future.
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To reiterate, Mr. Kelly you are correct - this has NOTHING to do with history but EVERYTHING to do with the overt propaganda war being waged by Skopje since 1991. This propaganda war has one goal on the agenda: the territorial fragmentation of all adjacent countries and especially the territory of the Hellenic Republic, i.e. Greece.
Is this the country that deserves to be called "Macedonia", Mr. Kelly? Is this the country you demand that Australia recognize as such? As an MP in a democratic country Mr. Kelly, you should demand that the President of the FYROM give a mandate to the democratically elected leader of the opposition, Zoran Zaev and the Albanian coalition to govern the country, before the FYROM collapses from the political upheaval that is currently brewing between the Albanians and Slavs in the region.
About the Macedonian League
We are an international professional Hellenic advocacy group. Our primary purpose is to advance our interests to informed and responsive governments on issues concerning Greece's national security and territorial integrity.
The Macedonian League's main focus is on the “Macedonian name dispute”, as this dispute is a serious national security issue that threatens the territorial integrity of Greece.
The Macedonian League also focuses on exposing and combating anti-Hellenism and analyzing political developments in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
For more information, follow us on: Website, Facebook, Twitter
Department of Communications
Macedonian League
Is this the country that deserves to be called "Macedonia", Mr. Kelly? Is this the country you demand that Australia recognize as such? As an MP in a democratic country Mr. Kelly, you should demand that the President of the FYROM give a mandate to the democratically elected leader of the opposition, Zoran Zaev and the Albanian coalition to govern the country, before the FYROM collapses from the political upheaval that is currently brewing between the Albanians and Slavs in the region.
About the Macedonian League
We are an international professional Hellenic advocacy group. Our primary purpose is to advance our interests to informed and responsive governments on issues concerning Greece's national security and territorial integrity.
The Macedonian League's main focus is on the “Macedonian name dispute”, as this dispute is a serious national security issue that threatens the territorial integrity of Greece.
The Macedonian League also focuses on exposing and combating anti-Hellenism and analyzing political developments in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
For more information, follow us on: Website, Facebook, Twitter
Department of Communications
Macedonian League
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