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вторник, 6 март 2012 г.

Greece bans Bulagrians with foreign Passports





Days ahead of the Hague decision, Macedonia's and Bulgaria's southern neighbor has upped the ante when it comes to Bulgarians with foreign passports whose place of birth is Aegean Macedonia.

Athens has informed the Macedonian and Bulgarian ministry they will no longer allow ethnic Bulgarians with foreign passports to enter Greece. These are usually US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders.
Although the explanation from offiicial Athens is they don't like to see the name Aegean Macedonia as the place of birth, many of these Bulgarians hail from the Aegean part hence Athens views them as a 'threat' to their national sovereignty.

Macedonian and Bulgarian passport holders for instance have no trouble entering Greece.

1947 UN Commision speaks of the Bulgarians in Greece



The modern Greek folly has always been its persistent but reckless denial of the existence of a Bulgarian nationality.

The hysteric intolerance against ethnic Bulgarians has distorted the Greek collective consciousness so much that Greeks are no longer capable of differentiating between their wish that Bulgarians were truly nonexistent and the actual Bulgarian reality, which so defiantly confronts them.

As their Bulgarian phobia continues to feed their schizophrenic psyches, rather than dealing with the Bulgarian reality like rational people, they instead cry out for sympathy and comfort while hoping to be freed from their Bulgarian nightmare, just like a small child who has awaken from a bad dream and cries out to his parents for comfort.

Such was the case in 1947 when the Greek government protested to the United Nations' Security Council regarding border violations by its northern neighbors. Greece demanded that Yugoslavia cease and desist overt military and logistical aid to the guerrillas fighting in the Greek Civil War, many of whom were ethnic Bulgarians.

On December 19 1946, a Commission of Investigating was established by the United Nations pursuant to the resolution of the Security Council to examine alleged Greek frontier incidents. To the surprise and dismay of the Greek government, the Commission of Inquiry broadened its scope of investigation to include the treatment of minorities, tendentious misstatements of facts in press and radio, activities of foreign military and police missions in the four countries concerned and arraignments of free port or free zone facilities in Salonika.

Outraged by the Commission's expanded mission, Greece threatened the immediate execution of political prisoners and captured "bandits" unless the Commission narrowed its scope of investigating to the original request. However, after heavy arm-twisting by the United States the Greek government halted the executions and allowed the Commission to proceed without further impediment.

The United States was concerned that if Greece carried out the execution of the Bulgarians world opinion would turn against Greece, which would give Yugoslavia, supported by the Soviets, a pretext to invade and detach Aegean Macedonia from Greece. In order to save face, and perhaps their country, Greek Ambassador, Dendramis, was instructed by the United States to inform the Security Council that Greece's protest was filed merely so there could be no grounds for misunderstanding regarding the interpretation of the terms of reference" (Telegram from Secretary of State to the US Embassy in Greece, February 8, 1947).

The United States understood that if Greece continued on its reckless political course it was only a matter of weeks before it fell to the Soviet block. Therefore, such a communist scenario for the future of Greece had to be prevented from becoming a reality.

Once the Commission began its work, the investigation of the Greek border incidents was downgraded as a minor issue. Such incidents, as the Commission contended, were regular occurrences in the Balkans for centuries and this issue in itself did not warrant an investigation at the United Nations level.

But the United States and Britain used this issue as a pretext to counterbalance Soviet expansion to the Balkans by preserving Greek territorial integrity. Britain and the Unites States were convinced that Yugoslavia wanted to detach the Aegean and Pirin parts of Macedonia from Greece and Bulgaria respectively and create an autonomous Macedonian state within the Yugoslav Federation.

Thus in the midst of this global political drama, the Macedonian Bulgarian issue again took center stage. But the ensuing colossal political battle between East and West instantly relegated Greece and Macedonia to the sidelines as spectators of their own destiny. The political drama was moved from the bloody foothills in Greece to the stately halls in Geneva. There, the ideological demarcation line between East and West was drawn alongside the Greek-Macedonian border, and as a result Greece and Macedonia continued their bitter rivalry on opposite sides of each other.

Nonetheless, the Commission's investigation was not interrupted and it was able to gather first hand information on the issues in question. However, before the findings were officially published, Commission representatives regularly communicated their findings to their respective governments for further evaluation and for instructions by their foreign affairs departments.

In one instance, the US Commission representative, Mark Ethridge, on May 8, 1947, sent a secret telegram to US Secretary of State, Marshall, informing him that "Greece itself by its own short sighted attitude and by its discriminatory and gangster-like methods was providing grist for the mill of political indoctrination and training in northern countries. It is noteworthy that a very large proportion of the refugees from Greece are Bulgarians who bore the brunt of discrimination. It seems clear to me that unless the discriminatory treatment stops flight to the mountains or across the borders will not stop. Thus this is the interrelation between nature and the causes and conclusion that Greece's discrimination has caused thousands to flee."

This short but revealing passage summarizes the entire political landscape in Aegean Macedonia and accurately depicts the state of the Bulgarian minority in Greece. It is also evident that the American diplomat clearly acknowledges the existence of the Bulgarian minority in Greece and he leaves no room for questioning which minority he is referring to. Additionally, he doesn't hide the fact that Greece's domestic policy is the root cause for the plight of refugees and the discrimination against the Bulgarian minority.

Ever conspiring and manipulating, Greece could not admit to the world they could be guilty of the most notorious crimes against the Bulgarian minority. Greece wanted the free and democratic world to believe that the existence of the Bulgarian minority, the plight of the Bulgarian refugees and the execution of the Bulgarian political prisoners were fallacious charges because Greece denied them. To further cover up their mess, Greece shifted the blame on Yugoslavia for stirring up trouble in Greece.

In their support, Greece offered to the Commission as evidence quotes from speeches of Yugoslav and Bulgarian statesmen from articles in the press, which to the Greeks meant unequivocal proof that Yugoslavia agitated a separate Macedonian state within the Yugoslav Federation and thus exploited the aspiration of Bulgarians in Greece for an autonomous Macedonia. Thus it seems Greeks wanted to simultaneously claim both the non-existence of the Bulgarian minority and blame Yugoslavia for fermenting dissatisfaction and disturbances among the Bulgarians in Greece. This can't be true in any world, not even in a Venizelos' Greek-a-polis.

Based on its findings, the Commission's conclusions clearly and unequivocally put the blame on Greece for a policy of systematic discrimination and persecution of the Bulgarian minority in that country. Even though Bulgarians in Greece were not the primary goal of the Commission, some of its conclusions undeniably confirmed the existence of a Bulgarian minority:

1) It was pointed out to the Commission and not disputed that after the Varkiza agreement over 20,000 Greek citizens had fled into Yugoslavia either directly or through Albania or Bulgaria and approximately 5,000 into Bulgaria, a substantial proportion in each case being of Bulgarian origin. Evidence was also presented in support of the charge that Greece has sanctioned persecution of its Bulgarian minorities. Furthermore, the Commission heard testimony that the Bulgarian dialect spoken by Bulgarians who were believed to comprise about 85,000 people was not taught in schools and that in certain areas, use of this dialect was prohibited." These findings by the Commission were so compelling in their condemnation of the Greek state that they left no room for doubt.

2) The Commission is of the opinion that as long as such discriminatory treatment continues, there will be unrest and discontent on the part of the Bulgarian minority in Greek Macedonia, which will provide fertile breeding ground for a separatist movement.

3) In connection with the present situation, the Greek Commission was presented with a body of evidence in support of the charges that responsibility for the situation lay with Greek domestic policy... This evidence was in effect that opposition political groups in Greece were persecuted by Greek gendarmerie and right-wing bandits, and that the civil rights of the Bulgarian and Chamuriot minorities have been restricted

4) The Commission also received sufficient evidence to warrant a conclusion that immediately after the liberation of Greece, the small Bulgarian speaking and Chamuriot minority in Greco-Macedonia and Epirus had been victims of retaliatory excesses, and Chamuriot minority had actually fled en masse from the country. As regards treatment of minorities, the Greek government asserted the acts in question were committed before it established control in the areas concerned, and that many members of these minority groups had collaborated with Axis occupying forces during war

Considering that these conclusions were unintended consequences, the findings of the Commission reveal disturbing and undeniable evidence of an official Greek policy of persecution and discrimination against the Bulgarian minority. These accusations against the Greek state in 1947 were not "dreamed" up. They were findings by the United Nations Commission of Investigating and were consistent with the facts on the ground. These findings speak loudly and plainly to the world that the Greek denial of the Macedonian minority transcends all rationality. Indeed, this denial has become a Greek national blasphemy.

The Greek national obsession with the Macedonian Bulgarian issue continues to regenerate itself as a persistent and bloody hatred that is no longer capable of self-control. Greece has gone wrong on the Macedonian Bulgarian issue and Greek society cannot be expected to find a cure for its anti-Bulgarian paranoia. It's time for the international community to call upon Greece and help this nation transcend the bounds of its delusional fascination with Megale Idea.

The report of Commission of Investigation was signed at Geneva on May 23, 1947. The conclusions were subscribed by Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Columbia, Syria, United Kingdom and the United States. The delegations of Soviet Union and Poland did not approve the conclusions and the French delegation abstained. The United Nations has published the Commission's report in Official Records of the Security Council, Second Year, Special Supplement No. 2.

The information used to write this article was taken from the University of Wisconsin Digital Collection Library, United States Department of State Foreign relations of the United States, 1947. The Near East and Africa: Volume V (1947). The United States economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey: the Truman Doctrine, pp. 1 - 484.

ПЕРВЕРЗНО: Бугарин во грчкиот парламент





Не е случајно тоа што најлутите непријатели на бугарското етничко движење во Грција се Бугари-гркомани.

„Добар ден, момче.“ Гласот на старецот, кој спокојно уживаше во своето кафе во единственото кафуле во селото, ми предизвика насмевка на лицето. Секогаш беше убаво да се чуе бугарскиот во Костурско, Егејска Македонија, откако овој регион претрпе можеби најголем дел од последиците од грчкото етничко чистење по Балканските и Граѓанската војна. Илјадници Бугари беа убиени или протерани, а тие што останаа живееја во теророт создаден од грчките власти, но и од своите сопствени умови.

Тоа беше во Маврово/Маврохори, близу брегот на Костурско Езеро, додека се обидував да го најдам патот до околното село Крпени. Мојата посета беше дел од едно патување по селата во Костурско пред неколку години и јас веќе бев наишол на неколку впечатливи факти при оваа посета. По целиот пат од Преспа до Костур насекаде наидував на притаено бугарско присуство. Во селото Горна Статишта/Ано Мелас две старици прснаа во смеа кога ги прашав за музејот на грчкиот „херој“ Павлос Мелас, кој тука бил убиен од неговите сопствени разбојници, додека во Кономлади/Макрохори веднаш им станав пријател на мажите што седеа на сретсело кога го спомнав напуштеното село Бапчор/Пименико по неговото бугарско име.

Меѓутоа, Маврово беше малку поинакво. Како новинар, јас наидов на информација дека селото е родното место на грчкиот политички ветеран Филипос Пецалникос, кој веќе 30 години работи како пратеник во грчкиот парламент, беше член на неколку влади на ПАСОК и подоцна, во 2009, беше избран за претседател на парламентот. Пецалникос отсекогаш беше силен пропагатор на грчката верзија на историјата во однос на Бугарите во земјата, па пред да пристигнам во неговото родно место, јас претпоставував дека Маврово (како и, на пример, Хрупишта/Аргос Орестико, неколку километри понатаму) ќе биде типичен пример за сменетата демографија карактеристична за селата околу градот Костур.



Но, за мое изненадување, во малото Маврово и во блиското Крепени – кое, за чудо, го има задржано своето бугарско име – речиси сите сѐ уште зборуваа бугарски! Беше потребен само еден освежителен пијалак во кафулето за разговорот да се префрли на најпознатиот син на селото, Пецалникос. Дедо Коле се насмеа: „Тие (Грците) само ја сменија последната буква од неговото презиме (Печалников) и го претворија во грчко. Тука кај нас нештата се крајно едноставни.”

„Значи, тој има бугарско потекло…“, изненадено промрморев јас. „Се разбира дека има. Сите ние имаме бугарско потекло. Единствената разлика е која страна си ја одбрал“, додаде тој. Печалникови главно беа трговци со земјоделски производи, едни од најбогатите семејства во Маврово, село со историја загубена некаде во средниот век. Тодор Симовски, според мене најголемиот син на Егејска Македонија по Мисирков, ги опишува селата Маврово и Крепени во својата легендарна книга „Населените места во Егејска Македонија“ како здружена земјоделска населба со приближно 70 бугарски семејства. Повеќето од овие семејства го напуштиле Крепени во 18 век поради епидемија на чума и се преселиле во Маврово, кое е поблиску до езерото.

Овие демографски факти не се промениле многу по Балканските војни, зашто Маврово никогаш не било некоја важна или многу привлечна локација. По Граѓанската војна таму решиле да живеат само неколку семејства, а бројот на доселениците-Грци дури бил уште помал. Резултат на тоа било село населено главно од Бугари. А Печалникови? „Е па тие ја одбраа грчката страна и не беа единствените. Ним им требаше да можат без проблеми да си ја продолжат трговијата“, продолжи мојот информатор. „Тие имаа доволно пари за да го испратат Филипос во Германија на студии. Кога тој се врати, му се приклучи на ПАСОК и така почна сѐ.“

А што со неговиот мајчин јазик? Повторно бев соочен со горчлива насмевка: „Што мислиш ти? Обата негови родители се родени зборувачи на бугарскиот јазик, тоа е јазикот што тој го слушнал прв и на кој зборувал како дете. Но погледни го сега. Го негира и самото негово постоење.“

Се разбира, Печалников (Пецалникос) не е првиот таков случај. Не е случајно тоа што најлутите непријатели на бугарското етничко движење во Грција се Бугари-гркомани. Поранешниот партиски другар на Пецалникос и министер за надворешни работи Папатемелис од селото Висока/Оса, Солунско, е можеби најистакнатиот пример, но има многу повеќе помали политички личности во Леринско, Воденско и во другите области каде што живеат Бугари. Каква иронија… уште од раниот 20 век Грците ги користеле овие луѓе за да докажат дека луѓето во Егејска Македонија едноставно се Грци со поинаков мајчин јазик. Во пантеонот на грчките национални херои своето место го нашле платените убијци како Вангел од Сребрено, контрадикторните фигури како Коте Христов од Рулја. Исто како што таму си најдоа место Папатемелис, како долгогодишен министер на ПАСОК, кој сега има своја сопствена мала патетична ултранационалистичка партија, и Пецалникос, кој стигна до врвот на грчката политика. Иронијата продолжува, бидејќи пред два месеци тој беше еден од главните кандидати за водач на големата коалициска влада што Грција ја има денес. Замислете Бугарин – па дури и гркоман – како грчки премиер. Е тоа би било нешто…

Но Пецалникос сѐ уште е претседател на грчкиот парламент, ја држи третата најпрестижна политичка позиција во Грција денес. Ова само по себе е интригантна тема за македонските и бугарските медиуми. И само едно едноставно пребарување на Гугл би ја дало основата за една мошне добра приказна. Сепак, јас таква приказна никогаш никаде немам видено. Можеби јас имав преголема среќа што налетав на дедо Коле во Маврово. Но предизвикувањето на среќата е суштински елемент на успешното новинарство. И ова е тоа што му го посакувам на МКД.МК, кој сака да внесе нешто ново и свежо во македонските и бугарските медиуми. Нешто малку среќа и многу новинарство.

Greek Authorities Try to Create Tensions among Bulgarians




Ethnic Bulgarians were celebrating the 'Assumption of Mary' a religious holiday celebrated for decades in most of Aegean Macedonia.

Greek authorities employed tactics already seen in Ovcarani 20 years ago when it volunteered to organize a Bulgarian celebration in Nered, an ethnic Bulgarian village populated exlusively by Bulgarians 10km away from Lerin.

The Greek authorities and police structures allowed bands (for the first time) to play and sing Bulgarian songs. The goal of the Greek authorities was to create tensions among ethnic Bulgarians and to ruin the celebration planned weeks ago at the local stadium, organized by Nered's Cultural Society.



This way Nered had two Bulgarian celebrations, one of course sponsored by the authorities at the city square. The two events caused tensions among Bulgarians, with the ones going to the Stadium calling the others 'traitors' for going to the celebration organized by Greek authorities (free food?).
The celebration organized by the police and the authorities was at the square. They were singing Bulgarian songs, however they were also forced to request Greek songs and Vlach songs. The idea was to portray this 'multi-ethnic' character of the area, even though only Bulgarians live here", says a Bulgarian who visited both celebrations.



This has happened before. Years ago, Greek authorities paid pro-Greek Bulgarian traitors in Ovcarani to form a parallel cultural society to the one already in existence. There as well were parallel Bulgarian celebrations, as the one organized in Nered. At the time pro Greek Bulgarians were hired and placed in high positions at the Electric company. Greek authorities tasked these Bulgarians to recruit the 'other' Bulgarians by offering them employment.

The same scenario is currently employed in Nered.

Greece is using the good ol tactics of 'Divide and Conquer'. Perhaps Athens is trying to create their new Karamanlis, whose mother was ethnic Bulgarian and father of Turkish heritage.

петък, 2 март 2012 г.

Janissary Traianos Dellas/ Trayan Nedelkov may enter Greek Parliament



According to information coming out of Athens, there will be another ethnic Bulgarian that is likely to enter Greek Parliament. It's famous football player Traianos Dellas, whose original name is Trayan Nedelkov and is well known for his hatred towards Macedonia despite both of his parents being ethnic Bulgarians. 'Dellas' grew up speaking Bulgarian, but today similarly to former PM Karamanlis is the biggest "Greek" of all.

However, Dellas would not be the only ethnic Bulgarian MP in Athens. Another Bulgarian MP in Greek Parliament is Aggelos Tolkas, who just few days ago was attacked at a Restaurant in Negush (Naoussa) for voting 'yes' for Greece's austerity measures. The mob attacked mostly his food, according to local reports Tolkas had his meal stolen.

Tolkas' family hails from Veshtica (Agelohori) where the main language spoken is Bulgarian. He too, just like his family speaks Bulgarian. During the election campaign, when needing votes, Tolkas was known to visit Bulgarian villages in the Negush region and mingle with locals who in turn saw him as "their own".

Tolkas was very clever and spoke Bulgarian only when needed, i.e. when he needed votes for Parliament. He never was involved or helped ethnic Bulgarians who waged battles in and outside of Greek Parliament for more rights. His re-election is now very much in doubt. Greeks saw him as a sell out, while the Bulgarians were very disappointed with his attitude towards them once he was elected.

Although Tolkas was of no help to the Bulgarians, he was no match for another ethnic Bulgarian Stelious Papathemelis who was one of the most famous jannisary against the Bulgarians in Greece.

Papathemelis was born in the village of Visoka, near Solun. In 1928 Athens ironically changed the name of the village by giving it another Bulgarian name (Osa).

Papathemelis was a Minister in multiple PASOK Governments. His most famous statement is "If Skopjans feel they are Macedonians, then they are Greeks, only Greeks are Macedonians".
Papathemelos was replaced by another ethnic Bulgarian, Yorgos Tanos who was born in the village of Javoreni (Platani). More Bulgarians from the Voden and Lerin (Florina) region were involed in Greek politics - Traianos Petkanis born in Ovcarani and Pavlos Altinis from Gorno Vrbeni, however none managed to climb higher on the ladder.


Lastly, footballer Traianos Dellas/ Trayan Nedelkov, another ethnic Bulgarian who is well known to the Macedonian Bulgarian public after controversial remarks at a press conference during UEFA Cup match between AS Roma and FC Vardar.

When asked about his origins by a Macedonian Bulgarian journalist (in Bulgarian), Dellas/Nedelkov didn't wait for a translation, but answered that he was Greek and is aware of only 'Greek Macedonia'.

Traianos has been offered an MP seat with the LAOS party, so we may have another Bulgarian Janissary in Greek Parliament. It seems that everyone, Dellas included will end up where they need to end up. //Mile Velkovski, contributor -

Jorgos Papadakis