The UN Expert's Report

Aegean Macedonians 'Encouraged' After UN Expert's Report, To Mark Anniversary

I am ... glad that Greek inactions encourage the "Macedonians" and discourage us, aren't you?  Perhaps we should ask Dora, the omniscient or should I say nescient, about it.  She will probably explain all about the Treaty of Bucharest as she did to Koloski.  The man was stunned!  He never knew that geographic Macedonia totalled 125% of its actual territory, let alone all other nonexistent "facts" that she so graciously offered to him. 

Skopje MIA in English 1508 GMT 10 Mar 09

["Association of Aegean Macedonians To Mark 60th Anniversary of the End of Greece's Civil War" -- MIA headline]

Skopje, March 10 (MIA) -- The Associations of Macedonians hailing from Aegean Macedonia say they are encouraged by the latest international reports confirming the existence of Macedonian minority in Greece, especially by the recent report prepared by the United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues Gay McDougall.

It is vital that the latest report was made on the basis of direct contacts that confirmed that Macedonians live in the northern part of Greece, said Georgi Ajanovski at a press conference on Tuesday [ 10 March].

Gjorgji Donevski added that in recent years the treatment of the "Aegean issue" has been changed after a long period of 60 years, when no one had defended the right of the Macedonians in Greece.

With government's support and a resolution passed by the Parliament, we have done everything we could in our country, now it's Europe's turn. If Europe adopts a similar resolution, Greece will be unable to proclaim it a provocation and will have to take measures regarding the Macedonian issue, Donevski stated.

He pointed out that the 60th anniversary since the civil war in Greece ended would be marked with appropritate events as of March 31 till the end of 2009 in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture.

15,000 Macedonian soldiers out of the 25,000-strong Democratic Army of Greece (DAG) took part in the war. 30% of them were women, said Donevski. 

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