THE BLAME GAME

THE BLAME GAME - Macedonia’s crisis

An interview with Mr Nestor Oginar, an American Macedonian community leader and dissident member of the Macedonian VMRO-DPMNE political party - after his very recent return from Macedonia to the United States. He is a former English teacher in the United States and holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees.

He offers his views over Macedonia’s political crisis, which was triggered last year by the Opposition party SDSM led by Zoran Zaev who confronted Macedonia’s Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski of the VMRO-DPMNE party with secretly taped recordings showing corrupt government dealings. (The full interview with Mr Oginar will follow in a separate article). A previous interview with Dr Ico Najdovski-Perin explains in detail the Cultural Crisis in Macedonia. See link

NB:
Prime Minister Gruevski resigned his position as part of an EU deal known as the Przino Agreement - see link for more details . There is now a caretaker government led by VMRO-DPMNE but with Emil Dimitriev as PM until new elections sometime this year, in which Gruevski will return as leader to contest the election.

'GRUEVSKI AND ZAEV MUST GO' -In one of the most powerful rebukes delivered by a diaspora leader:

Mr Oginar: As a Macedonian patriot and a Macedonian intellectual, I feel morally obliged to defend the basic tenets and principals of a free and democratic society which has been my life long pursuit because I am convinced that in defending Macedonia in principle I can help defend my country against foreign and domestic adversaries.

- NIKOLA GRUEVSKI

Mr Oginar: Macedonia’s democracy today is in peril. It has been for all of its 25 years of independence, but the last 10 years of rule by the Gruevski government has taken a most dramatic turn for the worst. What we have today in Macedonia is a pseudo civic society ruled by an organized political mafia on the pattern of Cosa Nostra. Macedonia is governed by a single family, an extended family of Nikola Gruevski, blood related or in laws who have imposed upon the people their own brand of rule by fear, intimidation, coercion, bribe, extortion and nepotism. These are characteristics of a neo-communism which borders with neo-fascism.

Nikola Gruevski took over the party VMRO-DPMNE, and in the course of ten years transformed it, from the principal founder of Macedonia, based on national ideology into a party of opportunists, sycophants and yes-men and women who have abandoned the party's founding principles of unity, love for one's country and nation and devotion to the right republican ideals. He has been personally responsible for an unprecedented historical period of social division, disunity, party affiliation, hatred and rampant crime at every level of the society. He and his ministers have been extremely liberal in their fiscal policies which are much closer to the extreme left known in communist societies.

During his mandate, Albanian irredentism has imposed control over the entire western Macedonian territories . His unnatural coalition with the UCK (KLA/NLA) terrorists [Ali Ahmeti] masked as DUI has paralyzed the normal functions of law and order in every national and local institution. Further more, he has squandered national treasure on unproductive projects such as Skopje 2014. He has wasted time on settling accounts with his political and ideological opponents, many of whom have been expelled from the party or jailed by improvised political trials . The catalogue of this man's misdeeds is too long to explain here."

- ZORAN ZAEV

Mr Oginar: I must mention that all of this evil in Macedonian society has been assisted and enabled by a week and inept opposition or absence there of , especially embodied in the SDSM. It's current leader Zoran Zaev is weak and an inexperienced man whose political life has been resuscitated over the course of the past years by the scandal of the so called "Bombs". I hold him and his party directly responsible for the current chaos and the crisis which has engulfed Macedonia. He is responsible, despite his seeming popularity because of his latent intentions in managing the revelations by the "bombs". I consider Zoran Zaev to be nothing but a left wing liberal, political opportunist who has not been able to offer a feasible solution for the quagmire.

Let us keep in mind that before he began publishing the revelations of the Gruevski's government crimes, he had tried to negotiate a deal with Gruevski by which he would succeed him. It was only political expediency that forced him to proceed with his plan which he and his party call "The truth for Macedonia".

I am revolted by Zaev's opportunistic overtures to the Albanian nationalist leaders to whom he promises, in violation of the Constitution, an even greater role in the future government eventually led by him. I am equally alarmed by his lack of national strategy to defend Macedonia's national name and identity.

For me, personally, Nikola Gruevski and Zoran Zaev are disloyal, and do not deserve to be in the position of leadership even for a day. And I hope that the growing movements toward decentralization and democracy in their respective parties will bring about long awaited necessary changes with new people who will be willing and able to have an open national dialogue so much needed in order to achieve at least a semblance of unity and agreement on a new doctrine which will save Macedonia from the pending crisis."

THE BLAME GAME II - other views

Some of the pro-EU pundits initially pinned the blame as to where a lot of the conflict and tensions in Macedonia have come from over the past 24 years since independence and then at the very very last minute have backed away or pulled away and pinned the blame on another cultural template, a softer target, alleged "ultra Macedonian nationalism.” Is it really to blame?

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FINISHING LINE?

-Ex-European Union mandarin Erwan Fouere was "almost there" - as in he was on the right track - the right direction - yes, correct in mentioning the spectre of Slobodan Milosevic and Serbian cultural hegemony in Macedonia…

But he then stopped short..it remains inexplicable why?…However, he takes aim at only one party.

Erwan Fouere's quote:

"The [Gruevski VMRO-DPMNE] Macedonian government's ethno-nationalist and populist brand of politics, a throwback to the era of Slobodan Milosevic, has resulted in the re-emergence of deep tensions in a country that already witnessed a bloody ethnic conflict in 2001.”

Milosevic was in no way a "Macedonian nationalist" - quite the opposite, he was a Serbian nationalist. It's well documented that in 1992 he had offered to divide Macedonia with historical ally Greece, which has blocked Macedonia's EU and NATO bids for the past 24 years. Therefore someone "copying" Milosevic's style or the template of Milosevic's homeland, and using it in Macedonia can't be a Macedonian nationalist, whose ideological underpinning has evolved from a different historical context  than the neighbouring forms of nationalism such as Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian, Albanian, Croatian etc. So if any Macedonian politician is said to be using Milosevic tactics, he or she can't possibly be a "Macedonian nationalist" but is simply copying the cultural template from the "North" of Macedonia. Maybe the problem lies with the copying, the inability to think independently?

On the subject of "copying the North" - pardon the segue.

RUNNING WITH FOX AND HUNTING WITH THE HOUNDS?

- This from ex-Macedonian Presidential advisor Borjan Jovanovski who acknowledges where the hatred between Macedonians and Albanians is generated from but then oddly dignifies the inciters of such hatred by calling them "respected colleagues."

Quote: "I ask my [respected colleagues] poshtovane kolega from Serb who work in tabloids to stop incitement to hatred in Macedonia.”

You can only have influence, i.e. the Serb tabloids, in a foreign country, i.e. Macedonia, if the people there have been conditioned to accept, which is what has happened in Macedonia in the past during Yugoslavist times.

"KURT" RESPONSE?

This from Kurt Bassuener, from a pro EU think tank, who actually hits the mark:

No Stability without Accountability – The West’s Responsibility in Macedonia - A DPC Policy Paper
Quote:

"Unfortunately, claims of agitation for Greater Albania are not completely fanciful; there are vocal adherents of such a goal, particularly in Kosovo. A public rally at a Prishtina sports hall for the eight Kosovars killed in the Kumanovo operation, included members of Prime Minister Isa Mustafaj’s Democratic Alliance of Kosova and opposition party Vetovendosje. The Kosovo Defense Ministry refused requests to host the event officially. Xhavit Jashari, Head of the Association of Veterans’ Families, said of the men “They are heroes of Kosovo. They fought for the freedom of the occupied lands, and for their unification in one country, Albania.“

"This direct endorsement by major political figures of ethnic separatism in Macedonia is a dangerous and destabilizing escalation of inter ethnic and interstate tension, and is generating ample fodder for regime-oriented press in Skopje, Belgrade, Banja Luka, Moscow, and beyond.

"The lack of a clear and credible Western security guarantee for Macedonian territorial integrity and sovereignty – even identity – has left ample room for nationalists throughout the region to entertain grand designs, as well as giving Moscow inroads in a country in which it had few.” Link
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STRANGE ABOUT-TURN?

-This from staunch critic of the current Macedonian government pundit, Saso Ordanoski, from way back in 1994, despite the political elements he criticised back then not having changed their platform today in 2016 even though Ordanoski has:

“Throughout the formation of Macedonia, they [Albanian nationalist bloc] have boycotted all political processes that would link them to it," said Saso Ordanoski, Skopje's leading commentator. "It is quite clear that their eventual aim is to declare their own federal republic and secede within [from] Macedonia.” link
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TWO TEMPLATES WHICH ARE IMPORTED?

Surely, if the EU pundits know which two cultural templates, that is forms of extreme nationalism, Serbian and Kosovar Albanian are to blame, why then do they pin the blame on the wrong cultural template - alleged "ultra Macedonian nationalism." It doesn't make sense?

ANY INSIGHT?

Sinisa Jakov Marusic (right in photo), a number of experienced old Balkan hands have told Team Uzunov, has virtually come out of nowhere to be ensconced as the head reporter for a pro European Union website called Balkan Insight, which despite breaking some good stories about corruption, has an obsession with replicating another Yugoslavia and pinning the blame on Macedonia’s problems on alleged “ultra Macedonian nationalism,” ignoring the powerful effect of Serbian cultural hegemony and Yugoslavist culture upon Macedonia, which has also impacted upon both of Macedonia’s political parties.

In an allegory of Balkan Insight’s Yugoslavist obsession - Mr Marusic joined commentators from Belgrade and Sarajevo speaking in Serbian about statutes in Belgrade and Skopje, the Serb and Macedonian capitals. see link. Why the need to link Macedonia with Serbia or for that Bosnia? No disrespect to the Serb and Bosnian peoples, but I am sure they also appreciate their independence, as do the Macedonians.

"Books, brother, books, not [church] bells and sleigh bells” - 

"Knjige, braćo moja, knjige, a ne zvona i praporce” - Dositej Obradovic (1739-1811)

It is a paradox for a man who critiques “ultra Macedonian nationalism” as Mr Marusic does so with relish but to have as his Facebook profile photo, a controversial and provocative quote from a 19th century Serb nationalist by the name of Dositej Obradovic, who according to Austrian academic, Wladimir Fischer, Obradovic believed in a form of dictatorship known as “enlightened despotism” where Serbia’s ruling elite should abandoned superstition and embrace books, secular education and submit to the Austrian Emperor. It is a very very odd ideology. Fischer also points out Obradovic was against democracy for the masses:

"Obradovic was not, as his interpreters often have it, in favor of democracy and equality; he was a champion of enlightened despotism.” see link 

Obradovic’s legacy has been misunderstood and misused by Serb nationalists, secularists and internationalists (in an ex Yugoslavist sense).

TEAM UZUNOV has attempted to contact Mr Marusic (initially on 28 February 2016) to offer his perspectives on the crisis in Macedonia and why his choice of Obradovic quote , but we have not received a response, despite a few more follow up emails.

ZAEV CALLING - a long time coming

ZAEV CALLING - a long time coming 
by Sasha Uzunov

Macedonia’s Opposition leader from the SDSM Party, Mr Zoran Zaev, gave a very rare interview for influential Australian-Macedonian radio program, 3ZZZ, hosted by Dr Ico Najdovski-Perin, and in which he gave a public undertaking not to change Macedonia’s name over Greek pressure. (more about Dr Najdovski-Perin here at this link.)

It remains to be seen if Mr Zaev will keep his commitment not to change the name, should he become Prime Minister after 5 June 2016, the date of the elections. Those elections were initially scheduled for 24 April as part of the EU Przino Agreement, which saw Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski resign because of the on-going political crisis and handing over to a caretaker government led by his VMRO-DPMNE party. However, that the date was pushed back to June, after the EU claimed it was not happy with a number of conditions such as a scrutiny of the electoral rolls, media freedoms and so on.

Be that as it may, Mr Zaev should have come on earlier on 3ZZZ radio, an independent multicutlural broadcaster with enormous reach in Australia, talking directly to the Australian-Macedonian diaspora. It remains puzzling why Mr Zaev has kept the diaspora, which ironically lives in the West, at arms length even though he claims to be pro-West?

It’s a very obvious question and in fact begs to be asked, why Mr Zaev’s media handlers or advisors have been keeping him from re-engaging directly with the Australian Macedonian diaspora which lives in the political West; rather than just giving soundbites used by the Australian-Macedonian media?

Macedonia's first President since independence in 1991, Kiro Gligorov of SDSM (1991-99) cleverly brought the diaspora under his wing as he battled to keep Macedonia alive and recognised. He had diaspora Macedonian men and women of the calibre of Canadian John Bitove & American businessman Vuko Tashkovich-whose son Gligor, became a minister in the Gruevski government for a short period of time and brought in huge investments in the country- and American-Macedonian woman Ms Ljubica Ackovska appointed as US Ambassador in the mid 1990s.

A father and son - Vuko and Gligor Tashkovich can serve two opposing parties in Macedonia -SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE - because they put the national interest first, is what many in the Australian diaspora are saying.

Many Australian-Macedonians tend to vote for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) which is the equivalent of SDSM but have largely favoured the nominally “nationalist” VMRO-DPMNE in Macedonia, which has run the country under Prime Minister Mr Nikola Gruevski for a decade, and with the PM recently forced to resign over a year long political crisis brought on by Mr Zaev releasing secretly recorded conversations involving the Gruevski government and alleged wrongdoing and massive corruption.

Part of that problem with SDSM’s media image in Australia is a perception of abandoning the diaspora for what is perceived as Belgrade cafe culturalists masquerading as pro West. This image or perception has been effectively used by VMRO-DPMNE supporters in Australia.

Hopefully Mr Zaev will re-examine that perception and draw the diaspora towards him.

No Macedonian from Australia has ever committed an act of terrorism on Macedonian soil. But "citizens" - predominately ethnic Albanians - from the Republic of Macedonia are fighting in Syria and Iraq. Pre-1991, Macedonian officials from SRM / SFR Yugoslavia’s secret police, UDBa (SDB), threatened Macedonians in Australia with violence or death. Mr Ali Ahmeti, the ethnic Albanian leader who started the war in Macedonia in 2001, came from the Swiss-Albanian diaspora.

So it remains puzzling why this aloofness towards the Macedonian diaspora now & not just from Mr Zaev but from the whole political and cultural class in Macedonia?

PERCEPTIONS 

Mr Zaev needs to lessen the influence of the City of Skopje / Belgrade Cafe cultural faction which has attached itself to SDSM, such as pundits Borjan Jovanovski and Branko Geroski, who claim to be pro West, and from time to time just say enough on “international television” to cover their tracks and criticise Belgrade but without really meaning it - they cleverly sit on two chairs…

Other perceptions include that SDSM and the ruling VMRO-DPMNE have deliberately ignored the plight of ethnic Macedonians in neighbouring Greece, Bulgaria and Albania. Some say that the ethnic Macedonians in Albania act as a healthy and natural barrier to a perceived Greater Albania in Western Macedonia, and Macedonia is being held politically hostage by Ali Ahmeti and his demands.

Moreover, there is a feeling that Serbia still wields “too much cultural hegemony” in Macedonia with the enomous power of ultra-nationalist tabloids from Belgrade. Likwise, that the European Union and the US have “bullied Macedonia” and given the Albanian nationalist bloc cart blanche; that Bulgarian nationalists have been allowed to set up shop in Macedonia unhindered. And not forgetting the strong belief in the influence of George Soros and is foundation.

Whatever the basis may be for these perceptions, they need to be discussed, debated, examined and not allowed to just circulate or linger or drift in the public square.

What is a given, or a fact is corruption in Macedonia is widespread and didn’t start in 1991.

WESTERN INACTION? DRIFT?

DPC is a pro West think tank and it's interesting it has criticised certain aspects of the West's behaviour in the BALKANS. Kurt Bassuener wrote in 2015 in a DPC paper - see link here :

Quote:

"Unfortunately, claims of agitation for Greater Albania are not completely fanciful; there are vocal adherents of such a goal, particularly in Kosovo. A public rally at a Prishtina sports hall for the eight Kosovars killed in the Kumanovo operation, included members of Prime Minister Isa Mustafaj’s Democratic Alliance of Kosova and opposition party Vetovendosje. The Kosovo Defense Ministry refused requests to host the event officially. Xhavit Jashari, Head of the Association of Veterans’ Families, said of the men “They are heroes of Kosovo. They fought for the freedom of the occupied lands, and for their unification in one country, Albania.“

"This direct endorsement by major political figures of ethnic separatism in Macedonia is a dangerous and destabilizing escalation of interethnic and interstate tension, and is generating ample fodder for regime-oriented press in Skopje, Belgrade, Banja Luka, Moscow, and beyond.

"The lack of a clear and credible Western security guarantee for Macedonian territorial integrity and sovereignty – even identity – has left ample room for nationalists throughout the region to entertain grand designs, as well as giving Moscow inroads in a country in which it had few.”

In 1994, Saso Ordanoski, a pro SDSM journalist and former head of Macedonian State broadcaster (MRT), told the British press that the Albanian political bloc in Macedonia:

“Throughout the formation of Macedonia, they have boycotted all political processes that would link them to it," said Saso Ordanoski, Skopje's leading commentator. "It is quite clear that their eventual aim is to declare their own federal republic and secede within [from] Macedonia.”

source: The Canberra Times (ACT) Friday 11 March 1994 quoting The Guardian newspaper. Reporter Helena Smith. link.

But he has done a 360 degree turn since then, why? Even Bassuener in 2015 concurs that a Greater Albania remains a genuine threat to Macedonia’s very existence.

There are also fears that Macedonia will be forced to change its name, because for the EU it’s the “path of least resistance” to take in order to appease an obstinate Greece, which has blocked Macedonia’s membership in the EU and NATO.  see link

ESTABLISHMENT

Mr Zaev is not part of the traditional City of Skopje cultural elite which dominates Macedonia and Macedonian culture. He is an outsider from Strumica and was arrogantly ridiculed by one of his own supporters, journalist Olivera Trajkovska, for being from outside Skopje. Therefore, Mr Zaev should at least try to feel some empathy for Macedonians who are outside the capital city and who also are treated in an arrogant manner by the established elite.

From a strategic and economic view, that is, and Mr Zaev has confirmed this, the Macedonian diaspora brings in a Billion euros annually, which are badly needed in Macedonia. This money comes in without any strings attached to it - via tourism, pensions, money being sent to family members, investments etc.

FUNCTIONING JUDICIAL SYSTEM?

Mr Zaev will find that many Australian-Macedonians have been the victim of protracted civil legal cases dealing with property inheritance of a family home or farm in Macedonia - where Macedonia's judicial system for the past 25 years has deliberately dragged out cases with appeals and counter appeals, so that lawyers and judges can keep the gravy train (fees, kickbacks, bribes etc) from rolling on.

I personally know of one Macedonian man from Melbourne who has spent over $400,000 and maybe more over a decade and half in legal fees in Macedonia. He has been physically attacked by the opposing side outside court, trying to intimidate him into giving up his claim, whilst the authorites have done nothing. These are the people that Mr Zaev needs to reach out in the diaspora - people who for 25 years have been on the receiving end of an atrocious legal system and mistreatment by authorities, regarldess of their political affiliation.

PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS II?

Messrs Jovanovski and Geroski’s personal hobby of a curious and contradictory mish-mash of internationalism, old time Yugoslavist nostalgia, Belgrade cafe culture as well as saying “vise, bolje, u” - and naively eulogising opportunist politician Zoran Djindjic etc. doesn’t bring in a Billion euros and in fact alienates support for SDSM in Australia !

THE ZAEV INTERVIEW:


What is encouraging is Mr Zaev didn't use the patronising “elite” words such as"vise, bolje, u" - a small positive step - during the interview.

Some tough questions were posed by host by Dr Najdovski-Perin (pictured left): about the influence of DUI, Ali Ahmeti, no census of the population, EU interference, Przino Agreements, de-facto Federalisation, ignoring ethnic Macedonians in Albania, Greece, Bulgaria etc. Mr Zaev appeared evasive at times.

However,


- Mr Zaev gave an undertaking not to change Macedonia's name.

- Mr Zaev acknowledged that the diaspora contributes over 1 billion euros to the Macedonian economy annually, which is badly needed.

THE VIEW FROM BUDAPEST

THE VIEW FROM BUDAPEST: HUNGARIAN-MACEDONIAN RELATIONS

- by Sasha Uzunov

In December 2012, Hungary led by the larger than life, some would say bombastic, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, recognised Macedonia under its constitutional name much to the chagrin of Greece which has blocked Macedonia’s EU and NATO membership applications for over twenty years. Greece is staunchly and stubbornly opposed to the use of the name of Macedonia.

Hungary is both a European Union and NATO member.

The reaction from certain quarters in Macedonia, ironically from people claiming to be pro-West was, to put it, a strange combination of anti-Hungarian sentiment and geo-strategic naivety, and above all else inconsistent. see link. The same level of blow-torch intense scrutiny was not applied to the Macedonian government agreeing to share embassies with Serbia, which has no intention of joing NATO.

Interview with Mr László Szentesi Zöldi 
Born in 1970. Hungarian journalist, columnist, writer. He has worked as a reporter and editor for Hungarian Television (MTV), Duna Televison, Echo Television, a journalist for the Foreign Desk at daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Deputy-Editor-In-Chief at daily newspaper Magyar Hírlap. He is currently a columnist for weekly Magyar Demokrata in Budapest. László Szentesi Zöldi has reported from many countries, including Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, Turkey, Taiwan, China.

Question 1: As a Hungarian journalist what are your views on the ever deepening Hungarian-Macedonian diplomatic relations? Macedonia doesn’t have too many friends in the Balkans, with the exception of Hungary and Croatia, which because of being tied up in internal politicking has allowed Serbia to take a more assertive role in the southern Balkans and in Macedonia but Zagreb has now began to readress that.

László Szentesi Zöldi: Our diplomatic relations are very good. Some weeks ago Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Mr Nikola Popovski visited Budapest, the Hungarian capital. I wouldn't say his talks with his Hungarian colleague were cool or unfriendly. When Hungary's Foreign Minister, Mr Péter Szijjártó declared that "Macedonia should have been invited to join NATO long ago, and the EU should have started accession talks at least six years ago”, that tells you of the deepening Hungarian-Macedonian relations and mutal affection - these are more important than the usual stock words and phrases, and cliches of diplomatic communiques. Macedonia is a very important partner for the countries in the Visegrád Group - cooperation (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia - see link) as a small but stable country that would help keep the balance between different powers in the Balkans. Beyond that, Hungarians simply like Macedonians. Although Macedonia is far from the Serbian-Hungarian or Croatian-Hungarian border, we have travelled a lot in the former Yugoslavia, many Hungarians have nice memories of Skopje, Stara Carsija [old Turkish bazar] or rakija [brandy]. This has nothing to do with politics, but I often cook tavce gravce [Macedonian traditional dish of baked means and meat] for my friends!

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban (left) receives an Order Of Macedonia award from Macedonia’s President George Ivanov.

Question 2: There has been a ferocious attack or campaign against Hungary and in particular the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán by Macedonian pundit, self proclaimed human rights activist and a former presidential advisor Borjan Jovanovski. We all know that it’s a journalist’s job to criticise all politicians, including Orban, but you find it strange that the same level of scrutiny is not applied to say Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Serbian Prime Minister Alexander Vucic, who are Serbian nationalists at heart. Serbia is not an EU or NATO member. It has an atrocious human rights record and has made some very loud nationalistic murmurs recently, such as the rehabilitation of ultra nationalist leaders, Draza Mihailovic, or the provocative statements against Macedonia (Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic’s complaints about Macedonia’s support for Kosovo’s UNESCO application). see link & another link 

László Szentesi Zöldi: It's always a suprise when human rights activist attacks an independent and democratic state such as Hungary, but obviously, these critics know nothing about its internal or domestic politics. I think after the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, especially the siege of Sarajevo and Srebrenica massacres, it's difficult to believe in "universal values" in our region. Human rights talks are largely about empty promises, we have to be more practical. It’s probably better to respect the right of all governments to govern by their own rules, without violence or despotism, of course. However, let me point out that Mr Orbán never urged that we should kill 100 Serbs if they kill just one Hungarian, the way in which Serbian PM Vucic did in 1995 when he warned that 100 Muslim Bosnians would be killed for every one Serb (see link).  By the way, we, Serbs, Macedonians, Croats, Slovenians, Hungarians should unite somehow against illegal migration. This is a real danger, and we can see the difference between the dreamy utopia and hard reality; so called "universal values' and protection of borders - Western illusions and Eastern realism. It can hardly be a coincidence that without hesitation or after a short pause, the EU’s members all want to built fences. As for the situation in Macedonia, if you let in the endless unregulated or unscreened crowds of migrants in the near future, your problems will only get worse.

Twitter: Mr Borjan Jovanovski, a former Macedonian Presidential advisor, in a note deliberately written in Macedonian with some Serbian words thrown in, cheekily says: “concerns about certain things in Serbia being banned, hey stop exaggerating.” However, in an English note, he calls for protests against Hungary. In the meantime, Mr Jovanovski has not called for any protests against Serbia or rising Serbian nationalism.

But when asked if he would condemn the Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic,  Mr Jovanovski said nothing. Mr Jovanovski is also a self-appointed human rights activist who paradoxically years for the former Yugoslavia, a one party state. see link

Question 3: In your opinion why is there this campaign against Hungary in Macedonia but Serbia gets treated softly?

László Szentesi Zöldi:: Because of emotional and historical reasons Serbia might be closer to some members of Macedonia's political class. It's a fact. As far as I can see Macedonian identity is a very complex question for the Macedonians themselves, but at the same time an irritating thing for Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. If someone really thinks that Serbia is a land of paradise whilst Hungary has a terrible, anti-democratic governement, I have to strongly disagree with this extreme and unjust assertion.  Old-fashioned Serbian nationalism which still exists in Belgrade blocks hope to do real changes for a better future. But the campaign against Hungary is over. We just built a fence, and our neighbours simply followed the example. This time, after being criticised, Mr Orbán is a very popular politician all over in Europe, which is a suprising phenomenon, but at the same time this campaign against was waged by those who support socialist-led ideology.

Photo caption: Mr Csaba Sogor (left) pictured with Nobel Peace Prize winner The Dalai Lama.

Question 4: Ethnic Hungarian MEP from Romania Csaba Sogor has bravely stood up against the bullies from Golden Dawn, an extreme nationalist, neo-Nazi Greek political party at a European Parliamentary conference on ethnic minorities who live in Greece, namely Turks, Macedonians and others.  see link  - What can you tell us about Mr Sogor?

László Szentesi Zöldi: Mr Sogor is a protestant clergyman, a former senator for the Democratic Union of Hungarians in the Romanian Parliament; he is a popular and respected politician in Transylvania. As a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) he represents 1.5 million ethnic Hungarians in Romania, one of the largest national ethnic minority groups in Europe. Mr Sógor is a very friendly and open person, that's why he was willing to stand up and react to the nasty threats and shouts from the "Crazy Greek Golden Dawn.” It was not just about politics but two different ways of thinking, two different philosophies. I enjoyed watching the verbal confrontation, especially when Mr Sógor shouted back at the Golden Dawn extremists that it's no use to “shield" the whole Greek nation-state from the conference. Mr Sogor also mentioned that some Slovakian and Romanian politicians were also pandering to unjustified nationalistic fears about ethnic Hungarians in those two respective countries, so he knew exactly how to react to the shouts and threats from the Golden Dawn MEPs in the room: He said to them "get out and shut up!" This kind of situation is not a very comfortable one to deal with but it truthfully must be confronted, especially in reacting to Golden Dawn.
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TEAM UZUNOV- Mr Sogor has also raised issues relating to the very large Hungarian minority in Serbia  - at this link
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Embassy to remain in Belgrade

AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY TO REMAIN IN BELGRADE
by Sasha Uzunov

TEAM UZUNOV exclusive - Australia rules out moving embassy to Skopje, Macedonia - Canberra regards Serbia of more strategic importance.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has ruled out relocating its Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia to Skopje, Macedonia, despite Serbia not wanting to join NATO, of which Australia, a non member is a strong ally of. Instead DFAT has cited “costs” over a possible move.

This statement from DFAT spokesperson Tom Battams:

"Australia values its relationship with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Our assessment, however, is that Australian interests are currently appropriately served through our Embassy in Belgrade, supported by our Honorary Consul in Skopje.

"Decisions to establish Australian Embassies and Consulates are not taken lightly.  A number of factors are considered, including, but not limited to:
.                 government-to-government, trade, cultural and tourism linkages;
.                 the consular and passport workload in the location;
.                 the size of the resident Australian population; as well as
.                 the initial and recurrent costs.

"Australia’s Ambassador in Belgrade, Ms Julia Feeney, is very aware of the importance that Australians of Macedonian descent attach to a range of services and assistance provided by diplomatic and consular representatives in Belgrade and Skopje."

TEAM UZUNOV QUESTIONS - the above statement from DFAT on the Embassy was a response to our questions below:


Foreign Minister, Ms Julie Bishop (left), I wanted to ask you if the Australian government would consider moving its Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia to Skopje, The Republic of Macedonia?

reasons:

1. It would be a saving to the DFAT budget to set up in Macedonia;

2. There are more people in Australia who have Macedonian ancestry and who speak Macedonian than there are people of Serbian extraction. The Embassy would be of more use located in Skopje than in Belgrade in terms of “traffic.” I cite the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, which places Macedonian as the fourth most spoken non-English [non-Asian] language in Australia;

3. Serbia is not a member of NATO and has no intention of joining NATO, whilst Macedonia is a candidate member. Australia, though not a member of NATO, is a close ally of NATO. Both Macedonia and Australia have contributed troops to the various NATO missions in Afghanistan, whilst Serbia hasn’t.

4. There is no strategic need to have an Australian Embassy in Belgrade, which could be covered from Skopje. Our Canadian and American allies, who both have Embassies in Belgrade, would more than adequately keep Canberra informed of political developments in Serbia.

CANADA STAYING PUT

 Canada will also be staying put in Belgrade and not relocate to Skopje - link 

 The Macedonian government of Prime Minister Mr Nikola Gruevski, VMRO-DMNE party, signed a “joint diplomatic” sharing mission agreement with Serbia in 2014. Serbia has made it known it does not seek NATO membership, which Macedonia is a candidate of.

"Wouldn’t sharing buildings housing embassies or consulates with Serbia pose a security threat to Macedonia, should it become a NATO member, as in compromise sensitive NATO material because of the proximity?

"Canada does not have an Embassy in Skopje, Macedonia. Why is that? If Macedonia becomes a NATO member--Serbia has no interest in NATO membership--should not Ottawa move its Embassy to Skopje?"

AMBASSADOR PINNINGTON: "The Embassy carefully follows events in the three countries to which we are accredited: Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. We are monitoring the situation in Macedonia. However, we are not in a position to comment on arrangements between private companies and political parties in Macedonia, or on the relations, or specific arrangements, between Macedonia and Serbia.

"With respect to the location of our Embassy, Global Affairs Canada is always examining where Canadian resources should be allocated to ensure Canadian interests are protected and promoted in the most effective and efficient manner."

CULTURAL CRISIS IN MACEDONIA?

- CULTURAL CRISIS IN MACEDONIA - expert says

 interview with Dr Ico Najdovski-Perin about the crisis in Macedonia.

Dr Najdovski-Perin hosts the influential Macedonian language program on 3ZZZ ethnic radio in Melbourne. He is known for his no-holds barred views and is the Australian-Macedonian version of Melbourne radio broadcaster Neil Mitchell.

He has Bachelor and Masters degrees from Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia and a PhD in history from the St Cyril and Methodius University (UKiM) in Skopje, the Republic of Macedonia and authored a number of books on the Australian-Macedonian community. He was born and raised in Macedonia before emigrating to Australia in the mid 1980s. He has spent half his life in both countries and regularly travels to the Balkans region to keep up to date with political developments.


Question 1: Your thoughts on the political situation in the Balkans, especially the political crisis in Macedonia and human rights issues as a whole? And your thoughts on the role of the European Union. Overall, has the EU's behaviour towards Macedonia been hypocritical?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: The Republic of Macedonia is in a very deep political crisis and how that crisis will play out, only God knows! We know today Macedonia hasn’t got a government; there is a caretaker government established under instructions from the United States and European Union. Besides the political crises we know Macedonia has deep ethnic problems with the Albanian minority, and an element within its leadership which wants to federalise Macedonia and in the near future and probably proclaim an independent Albanian state called "Ilirida".

I think the problem in Macedonia lies with the Macedonian people; they still cannot accept the fact that Yugoslavia does not exist anymore. The majority of the population is pro-Yugoslav nostalgic or pro-Serbian, including the Macedonian media and, some of them are pro-Bulgarian.

For example, for the 2016 New Year's Eve celebrations most of the Macedonian television stations broadcast hours and hours and hours of Serbian music and entertainment. It has got to a point where the local Macedonian entertainment and music industries are being deliberately killed off by a handful of powerful people, who have a financial interest in Serbian turbo-folk, and local Macedonian musicians are out of work and can't feed their families. Some are then forced to perform in Serbian in order to put food on the table and feed their families. Shameful. Very shameful.

On the other hand there are a number of ethnic Macedonians have made the cynical choice to obtain Bulgarian passports, because Bulgaria is a member of the European Union. This is a deliberately and clever ploy by Sofia to gradually "Bulgarianise" Macedonians.

Regarding human rights in The Republic of Macedonia I think there is a double standard. Activists in the republic have never ever raised questions about the human rights of the Macedonians in the neighbouring countries-Greece, Bulgaria, Albania or the ethnic Macedonians in Macedonia who were displaced during the ethnic Albanian uprising / war in Macedonia in 2001. However, these activists, have brought up the issue about a corrupt, so called, ”Archbishop” Jovan - Zoran Vraniskovski, a fanatical pro-Serb nationalist priest in Macedonia who is openly funded by the nominally secular Republic of Serbia to destabilise Macedonia.

The role of the European Union is hypocritical. The leading countries of the EU have the same political and territorial strategies about Macedonia and its people as its predecessors did - going back to the Berlin Congress of 1878.

Also in 1878 was the “Prizren League” which called for the creation of a Greater Albania. Today we can still see the double standard of those countries and implementation of the resolutions of the Berlin Congress and later the Bucharest Congress of 1913 when Macedonia was physically partitioned. In recent times the EU, created and recognised Kosovo as an independent country and, on the other hand, it doesn’t recognise Macedonia under its constitutional name because of EU member Greece's veto.

One of the issues which does unite both Macedonians and Albanians is the genuine fear of domination by Belgrade and Sofia. Rather than focus upon that to unite both Macedonians and Albanians, the scenario by both the Left and Right in Macedonia is to deliberately provoke a "fight" between Macedonians and Albanians whilst keeping Belgrade's or Sofia's hands "clean." This also plays into the hands of Albanian nationalists. So it becomes a vicious cycle which then feeds upon itself.

Question 2. In Australia amongst the Macedonian community, in the early 1990s you had a kind of “consensus” between supporters of the two major political parties VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM. That consensus has now disappeared in Australia. Why is that? The community is divided.

Dr Najdovski-Perin: In the 1990s we had established common national goals - an independent country. The Macedonian Community in Australia fought for years and years against the intelligence services of Yugoslavia, Greece and Bulgaria. We had a number of demonstrations in front of the Yugoslav, Greek and Bulgarian Embassies or Consulates which kept us together and strong. Also, we had built strong national feelings through the culture, traditions and the Macedonian language.

The elite in Macedonia deliberately portray Macedonians in Australia as “extremists” even though not one Australian-Macedonian ever committed an act of terrorism on Macedonian soil, unlike say Ali Ahmeti. Nor did Australian-Macedonians ever bomb Yugoslav, Greek, Bulgaria or Albanian Embassies in Australia. It was both the Yugoslav and Greek secret police which threatened violence or death towards Macedonians in Australia during the 1970s and 80s.

No Australian-Macedonians are fighting in Iraq and Syria for ISIS. However, there are growing numbers of Kosovar Albanians and Albanians in The Republic of Macedonia who are fighting for ISIS. The question is when they return will they buy the European “utopia” that is being pushed by Brussels? These people will pose a threat to both the Albanian community as well as Macedonians and the West in general. So it seems strange that the Macedonian diaspora is being unfairly demonised.

In the Kosovo War in 1999 and in the ethnic Albanian uprising in Macedonia in 2001, a large body of fighters came from the Albanian diaspora. These are indisputable facts.

Question 3. The current crop of “human rights activists” in the Republic of Macedonia seem to have some puzzling or confusing or contradictory views - for instance they confuse Belgrade urban Serb culture or former Yugoslavist culture with internationalism, but with a slight Western veneer on top for public consumption. For instance, one 'activist" defends an ultra Serb nationalist priest in Macedonia, Zoran Vraniskovski, who is being openly funded by Belgrade to destabilise Macedonia and whilst another activist strangely calls ultra nationalist Serb journalists as “respected colleague (poshtovane kolega)” and incites people to violence by using swear words on Twitter.

Many of these people who now claim to be human rights activists were no where to be seen back in the 1980s. For instance, they never complained to Amnesty International or the United Nations or Helsinki Committee over the illegal imprisonment of Macedonian dissident Dragan Bogdanovski. None of these people ever visited Bogdanovski in jail or brought him food.

Some of the views of these "human rights activists" such as their Yugoslavist nostalgia is deeply authoritarian as SFR Yugoslavia was a one party state and opposition parties where banned in Tito’s Yugoslavia. Are you concerned at the inconsistency?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: I said this in my previous answer that the majority of the Macedonians are pro-Yugoslav or pro-Serbian and Bulgarian. They have been flooded through the media with Serbian music every day. The culmination of this was on the eve of 2016 when four Macedonian national television stations broadcast only in Serbian; a person would think that they were living in Serbia.

In terms of those so called human rights activists in Macedonia I think either they are very misguided or they don’t know their tasks very well. It’s not possible to be more concerned about Zoran Vraniskovski, Ali Ahmeti [Albanian nationalist politician who started the war in Macedonia in 2001], Serb nationalists Vojislav Seselj, Draza Mihajlovic, Marshal Tito, Albanian nationalist Hasan Prishtina and many more foreign people than say the Macedonians such as political dissidents Dragan Bogdanovski, Blagoja Shambevski, ex Army General Vasko Karangelevski killed in mysterious circumstances in 1977, political leader Metodija Andonov – Cento imprisoned on false charges in 1946 by the Tito regime in Yugoslavia, and more recently Macedonian Priest, the Archimandrite Nikodim Carknjas from S’btsko Aegean Macedonia, the Macedonian minority in Albania (Golo Brdo and Gora), the Macedonians in Bulgaria (Pirin Macedonia), the Macedonians in Greece and the Macedonians in Serbia who are not even allowed to worship in the Macedonian language. In Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece there is not even a single church where the Macedonians can have their services.  It seems the human rights activists are more interested about their own lifestyle and future prospects than about people who had suffered or still are suffering because of their national identity.

4. Do you think it strange that neither the Macedonian government or opposition, including human rights activists or Macedonian patriots condemned the 14 May 2015 decision by the Serbian High Court to officially rehabilitate ultra Serb nationalist leader Draza Mihailovic who was anti Macedonian?

Recently, the Macedonian Foreign Ministry reacted to the provocative nationalist posturing of Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic over a controversial road sign. There was silence from Macedonia's normally very loud human rights activists.

In your opinion, why does Serb cultural hegemony get a free pass in Macedonia? Are you concerned by Macedonian Opposition party, SDSM,  consulting a controversial Serbian Public Relations firm, Ruskin & Hunt or the fact that the Macedonian government has handed a large chunk of media ownership to a foreign citizen, Serb-American businessman Veselin Jevrosimovic?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: I am not surprised at this behaviour from both the ruling party and from the opposition. They refuse to see the obvious - which anyone can see from outside the country.

Instead of condemning the Serbian High Court decision, or the road sign in Serbia where Macedonia is presented as the insulting FYROM,  there is strengthening of the Serbian culture in Macedonia. I think the mentality and the political connections have not change much since Macedonia became independent from Yugoslavia. On Macedonian national Day “Ilinden” they have “popular” singers from Serbia such as Ceca Raznjatovic – Arkan, Miroslav Ilic, Saban Saulic, Lepa Brena etc singing.

Question 5. Likewise, many current Macedonian “patriots” were no where to be seen in the 1980s. Why do you think that is?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: When we were fighting for the Macedonian cause in Europe, Australia, US and Canada the Macedonian “patriots” had a luxurious cafe life within Yugoslavia which was financially supported by the West. They never thought that one day they would live independently. Having an independent country is a very difficult task. These young and inexperienced Macedonian politicians have no idea how to run a country nor understand vital strategic national interests.

Question 6. Why do you see the need to defend Macedonian national identity and the name?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: Macedonian politicians proved themselves incapable of governing an independent Macedonia. They failed to register Macedonia in the UN in 1991, in 1995 the Constitution and the national flag were changed in order to satisfied Greece, the war broke out in 2001; the absurd push to celebrate our national history with Bulgaria, opening joint diplomatic missions with Serbia etc…All these of crazy moves  telling us we have to monitor every decision made by Macedonian governments towards changing the name. I am afraid of having a referendum in Macedonia where the name will be in the hands of those who have no feeling towards Macedonian identity. Some are more Internationalist than Macedonian, which in effect means they are de-facto Belgraders or Serbs, as they seem to confuse both. Also, the Albanian nationalist bloc would not be defending Macedonia’s name. It’s probably why the diaspora will be kept out of the decision making process, even though the authorities in Skopje, arrogantly and hypocritically interfere in the affairs of the Macedonian community in Australia; and are happy to take the money coming into the country from the diaspora.

Simply put if Macedonia changes its name, Macedonian identity is finished. It’s what Greece wants.

Question 7. Why is that Macedonia's cultural and ruling political classes remain largely silent on the rights of Macedonians in Greece, Bulgaria and Albania?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: Why? It remains a mystery. The elite doesn’t know the power and help it can get from the Macedonians in Greece, Bulgaria and Albania as a counter-balance.

Secondly, there still is prejudice and the underestimation of the abilities of ethnic Macedonians in the neighbouring counties. It's a continuation of the Yugoslavist era pushed by Belgrade. The elite needs to learn from the Jewish, Irish, Albanian and other activists in bringing and uniting people together.

Question 8. Are you alarmed at the creeping Bulgarianisation of Macedonian history; the rehabilitation of controversial figures such as Todor Alexandrov and the deliberate downplaying of Macedonia's partizan resistance during World War II ? Are you concerned at the deliberate sidelining of prominent Macedonian historian Dr Theodore (Todor) Chepreganov by Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in favour of the late Dr Zoran Todorovski, the Director of the National Archive of Macedonia, who played a leading role in the rehabilitation of Alexandrov?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: The Bulgarianisation of Macedonian history already started with meetings between Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts  (MANU) and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAN) and joint church services at the highest level. This trend will not stop, it will continue in the future - celebrating as "one nation in two countries."

The controversial figure Todor Aleksandrov was rehabilitated from the then Macedonian Premier Ljubco Georgievski and the Macedonian Orthodox Primate Archbishop Stephen (Stefan). The rehabilitation was more secret than public. This proves that Todor Aleksandrov was and is a controversial figure in Macedonian history. During the Second World War in Macedonia there where no Partizan resistance brigades named after him. The brigades were named with popular leaders from the “Ilinden Uprising of 1903”. ie Goce Delcev, Dame Gruev and so on.

The idea to rehabilitate Todor Aleksandrov, who was pro-Bulgarian, marked the beginning of one nation, one history in two countries concept. The late Director of the Macedonian Archives, Dr Zoran Todorovski, according to a number of workers employed in the Archives,  falsified the original documents bought from the Bulgarian Archives to the Macedonian Archives.. If Todor Aleksandrov is not controversial than why there is no place for him in Skopje next to Goce Delcev, Dame Gruev, Pitu Guli, Cento and many others? His monument in Skopje was erected in secrecy and without his name because the authorities did not know what kind of reaction there would be.

We have seen the predatory behaviour of two Bulgarian ultra nationalist politicians, Kressimir Karakachanov and Angel Djambaski allowed to spread their nasty propaganda in Macedonia without any kind of intellectual response from the Macedonian government or opposition to counter some of the false views of Macedonian history and to whitewash Bulgaria’s role in the Jewish holocaust in Macedonia during the Second World War.

Question 9. Are you concerned at the “tribalisation” of Macedonian politics into two warring camps: VMRO-DMPNE and SDSM? If you criticise VMRO-DPMNE you get accused of being a spy for SDSM or if you criticise SDSM you get accused of being a spy for VMRO-DPMNE. In effect, any form of party neutrality is thrown out the window

Dr Najdovski-Perin: Very good question! If one would go visit Macedonia right now, especially Macedonians who live abroad, you are immediately forced to take the neutral corner. You cannot have an independent opinion or you will be labelled as a spy or someone who works for other countries' interests. Today we have more political parties members than during the Communist era 1945-1991 in Macedonia. The Macedonians of today are divided like two “tribes” or like two groups of rivalry soccer fans. Our people have a tendency to build cults glorifying their party political leaders than to fight for their rights and for better future. These “leaders” do not bring democracy. We have seen it in the past and we should know by now that the power is in their hands and not in the hands of the members of those political parties

Question 10. What are your thoughts of the nasty name calling and divisive use of the term “egejizacija” (ethnic Macedonians from the Aegean region which is now in present day Greece) as a pejorative? Opponents of Macedonia’s Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski have used this term as an attack on him. In a democracy criticising any politician, including Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, should be encouraged but is it fair to tar a whole group with the same brush over one individual? For instance would you use the racist term “Africanisation” to target an Afro-American politician, senator, president etc.? On the subject of stereotyping, why is that Macedonia’s cultural elite, both on the left and right can’t relate to Macedonians outside the capital city, Skopje? Why is there an obsession with status, titles, degrees, positions etc?
For instance, ex Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska’s patronising comments about ethnic Macedonians in Mala Prespa, Albania and journalist Olivera Trajkovska’s disparaging comments about Opposition leader Zoran Zaev’s provincial city background..

Dr Najdovski-Perin: I will not comment on this as it is ridiculous and insulting talking about “egeizacija”. We are all Macedonians and I would like to advise our people not to mention this term “egeizacija’ in the future.

The second part of your question is about Skopjanisation of Macedonia which is a deliberate show of “superiority" over the other Macedonians from the small cities and villages. We know the consequences of Skopjanisation. It's noticeable in the way they, elite members, speak, read and write. The accent of the Macedonian standard language has been changed. It's noticeable even you watch television, listen to a radio or just very day simple conversation. This is changing our culture and traditions silently and slowly.

Question 11. Why do educated Macedonians from the capital city, Skopje, deliberately use the term "u" instead of "vo?" "U" could be construed as insulting or chauvinistic to a number of Macedonians who don't use "U." To give you an Australian analogy, no one uses the term "mankind" because it excludes women. The term "humankind" is used, likewise "spokesperson" is used as a generic term rather than "spokesman."

Dr Ico Najdovski-Perin: The influence of the Serbian language in Skopje is heavily visible and is used to demonstrate "cultural superiority” over other Macedonians. However, there many regions in ethnic Macedonia where “u’ is used instead of “vo”.

Question 12. Your thoughts on the Albanian nationalist bloc in Macedonia? Federalisation?

Dr Najdovski-Perin: Very short, the Albanian nationalist block has fulfilled the resolution from the “Prizren League of 1878”. They know the Albanian nationalist red line. Macedonia since 2004 is practically cantonised. It is a matter of time when they will put an ultimatum for federalisation of Macedonia. Even today they act like a separate Government led by Ali Ahmeti. Recently he visited Greece to negotiate our national name – Macedonia. It is absurd for him not to be reprimanded by the Government of Macedonia or the Parliament of Macedonia.

Even the Albanian people in Macedonia have been fooled into believing the extremist nationalist agenda pushed by the likes of Ali Ahmeti. It’s deliberately fanning divisions between Albanians and Macedonians and also further provoked by outside forces. It doesn’t help when the Macedonian media and elite buy into the nationalistic rhetoric from the Serbian tabloid media. It feeds the problem. Not solves it.

It was ex-US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who said that an independent Kosovo would lead to the annexation of Western Macedonia, where this a large ethnic Albanian grouping. But this would be disguised as a “fight for civil rights.” We saw the 1999 war in Kosovo and two years later, elements from Kosovo invaded Macedonia. Then came the Ohrid Framework Agreement, pushed by the West, as a kind of settlement but instead has set Macedonia upon the path of federalisation. If Federalisation happens, that is there is an “Albanian Republic within a Federal Macedonia, Macedonia is finished as a nation-state. Whatever is left will out of desperation gravitate towards Serbia or Bulgaria, perhaps even Greece.

Greece has played a very large part in the destabilisation of Macedonia by blocking Macedonia's membership of the European Union and NATO. Greece has time on its side. It can just wait until Macedonia falls apart - though Greece’s own economic stability is shaky.

- ETHNOS-DEMOS: failed 1970s naive utopian social theory pushed in Macedonia ?  -

Question 13. Why is Macedonian academic “Professor Doctor" Biljana Vankovska Phd (UKiM) fanatically obsessed with a failed 1970s utopian social theory called "ethos-demos" in Macedonia? The theory is that by stripping Macedonians of their ethnic identity, "utopia" will reign in Macedonia. But we have seen in the West where young people have been radicalised and joined the ISIS (The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), where "ethnos-demos" has clearly failed. We saw in Yugoslavia, a kind of ethnos-demos also failed with Vladimir Gligorov, the son of Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov, and Bobby Despotovski an "international" soccer player of Macedonian background, both embraced a Serbian identity, not an internationalist one. In Despotovski’s case, he was raised in the Yugoslavist diversity quilt showpiece of Vojvodina and instead of becoming an “internationalist” as it was naively intended, he became a hardcore Serbian nationalist who almost provoked a riot at a soccer match in Australia in 2001 making a political gesture. It was more an issue of Strong Identity, Soft Identity.

Dr Najdovski-Perin: We cannot today rely on “ethnos-demos” when we see the European Union member states are, hypocritically, building fences to protect their countries from the migrants who are coming from Middle East and Africa and holding moral lectures. Today we need to have a strong Macedonian identity in order to protect ourselves and our country called Macedonia.

CROAT-MACEDONIAN RELATIONS

CROAT-MACEDONIAN RELATIONS 
by Sasha Uzunov

Mr Branko Miletic is an Australian-Croat journalist, often cited in the Australian media about Croatian affairs. He is also a long time observer of the Balkans.

Question 1. Have successive Croatian governments dropped the ball in winning the diplomatic war for influence in the southern Balkans, namely in Macedonia by allowing Serbia virtually a free hand to exert its influence? In the early 1990s Croatia was very active in pushing for Macedonia diplomatic recognition whilst Serbia was actively against it, even threatening Macedonia with invasion in the early 1990s until the Dayton Agreement of 1995. (see link).

Branko Miletic: Yes they have. Thanks to 2 reasons- one, is the need to fix the economy- regional politics takes a back seat to micro-economics....the second reason is the fact that the European Union keeps pushing this 'rapproachment' theory vis-a-vis Belgrade and now in Croatia for example you have a revitalised neo-Marxist pro-Belgrade Left made up mostly of unemployed actors, artists and poets ( whatever that means) trying to bring down a democratically elected government that is not to their taste. One wonders what the relatives and friends of all those Croatian soldiers, that died on the battlefields (along with surviving war veterans) in places like Vukovar think of all this.

Question 2. Are you concerned that there are leading public figures in Macedonia who claim to be pro NATO but strangely back the centre-right regime in Belgrade, Serbia which is anti-NATO?

For example Macedonian journalist Borjan Jovanovski says he is staunchly pro NATO but rarely if ever defends Croatia which is a NATO member from attacks by the Alexander Vucic regime in Belgrade and instead gives Belgrade a clean bill of health when it has human rights issues to deal with. (see link). Prime Minister Vucic years ago threatened to murder 100 Muslim Bosnians if one Bosnian Serb was killed. Since then Vucic has toned it down somewhat and is threatening Croatia with Russian missiles ! There has been silence from Mr Jovanovski and others over the recent official rehabilitation by the Serbian High Court of controversial World War II leader and ultra Serb nationalist Draza Mihailovic who was anti Macedonian, anti Croat, anti Albanian and anti Muslim as well as the recent the provocative nationalistic statements from Serbian foreign minister Ivica Dacic. (see link).

Some of these leading Macedonian figures even appear on Serbian television but never defend Croatia, which is both an EU and NATO member, whilst Serbia isn't.

Branko Miletic: I am concerned but not surprised. We have the same issues in Croatia. The politics of social engineering from the EU has given rise to this class of political zombies that seems to want to constantly gravitate to Belgrade. As for the EU, it is as if the politicians in Brussels miss dealing with only one Balkan country rather than say six or seven.

Question 3. You were quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in 2012 as saying the Croats were the Muslims of 1970s Australia, as in unfairly being labelled as terrorists by the media because of clever Yugoslav secret police false flag terrorist operations, which amongst other things saw six local Croats set up and imprisoned for crimes they never committed. (see link).

Are you puzzled that there are leading figures in Macedonia who say they are pro NATO and pro West who still defend the old Yugoslavist "utopia?"

Branko Miltetic: No, sadly as I mentioned earlier, this is a 'wave' or a ' mini movement' that is sweeping the Balkans. Not sure where its coming from- the conspiracy theories range from George Soros to the EU all the way to the Illuminati ( no-I'm not kidding, this is what some people think) however I think its sadly the human condition of short term political memory loss and the 'grass was always greener in history' condition. There are also way to many people ( as in the West) that are obsessed with their childhood and 'how wonderful things were' - or should I say that's what they think anyway. This leads to this kind of myopia that takes hold of a loud and culturally influential class that then spends most of its unemployed time pushing this Red Revisionism...I hope, much like Ebola, it will pass with time.
------

On a positive note, Croatian Member of the European Parliament, Marijana Petir, has recently set up an informal Friends of Macedonian parliamentary group. see link 

COOL HAHN LUKE - EU Chief keeps calm over critics

Exclusive - Team Uzunov contacts European Union Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn

COOL HAHN LUKE - EU Chief keeps calm over critics
By Sasha Uzunov

The European Union's troubleshooter for Macedonia, Commissioner Johannes Hahn, has played it cool and calm by not buying into repeated attacks launched against him on social and mainstream media by a member of Macedonia's influential capital city cultural elite. 

Mr Borjan Jovanovski, a journalist, former Macedonian Presidential media advisor and self-proclaimed human rights activist, on his infamous Twitter account as well as his television appearances has constantly accused Commissioner Hahn of bias against the Opposition party, SDSM.

Mr Jovanovski belongs to a very powerful political dynasty in Macedonia established during the Yugoslav communist period by his father Meto, a prominent writer and head of foreign programming at Radio Television Skopje (RTS), the forerunner of Macedonian State Broadcaster. Mr Jovanovski has declared his support for the European Union and NATO but his endorsement of the regime in Serbia contradicts those positions.

Mr Hahn was sent to Macedonia by Brussels after massive demonstrations last year led by the Opposition SDSM against the Macedonian government led by then Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski over an alleged wiretapping and corruption scandal brought the country to its knees. Two government ministers and the head of Macedonian Intelligence, the Prime Minister's first cousin Saso Mijalkov, were forced to resign. Prime Minister Gruevski tendered his resignation nearly a month ago as part of an EU brokered agreement, known as the Przino Agreement, with a caretaker government led by a member from Mr Gruevski's party, VMRO-DPMNE, at the helm until new elections in April this year.

But those elections could be in doubt with the Opposition claiming that more time is needed to update the electoral rolls and check for false voters.

TEAM UZUNOV contacted Mr Hahn's office for a response to the constant attacks against him, asking if the EU Commissioner was aware of the contradictory views of Mr Jovanovski. The EU Chief has deftly downplayed the criticism.

TEAM UZUNOV: "Mr Hahn, you have a very difficult task in trying to resolve the political crisis in Macedonia and to make everyone happy !

"One of your staunchest critics in Macedonia is a journalist and “human rights activist” by the name of Borjan Jovanovski. Mr Jovanovski says he is pro-NATO, pro-EU, but has some contradictory views. For instance he has endorsed the regime in Serbia, [a non-EU member] which is anti-NATO and has a very bad human rights record. Mr Jovanovski has called for demonstrations against EU and NATO member Hungary but none against Serbia.

"Mr Hahn, are you concerned by Mr Jovanovski’s contradictory views, especially his endorsement of Serbia?"

Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for Commissioner Hahn:

"Commissioner Hahn has been very vocal regarding the expectations he has when it comes to constructive attitude of relevant stakeholders in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."

Mr Jovanovski in a Twitter message, written in a mixture of Macedonian and Serbian, on October 17, 2015, said concerns about the lack of freedoms in Serbia were largely exaggerated.

Mr Jovanovski’s October 17, 2015 Twitter message, written in a mixture of Macedonian and some Serbian in which “concerns about some things being banned in Serbia are largely exaggerated."

 This is in direct contradiction to a 2015 Human Rights Watch report (see link) which condemns Serbia for no improvement in an already worse human rights record, as well as rising nationalism being fostered by the Serbian government of Prime Minister Alexander Vucic, who has also threatened to start an arms race against NATO member and neighbour and rival, Croatia. Serbia's Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic, made a number of provocative and nasty statements about Macedonia's support for Kosovo's application to join UNESCO.

Belgrade has been strongly opposed to neighbouring state of Montenegro joining NATO, and via Republika Srpska, the Serb enclave in Bosnia-Hercegovina, has blocked Sarajevo's bid to join NATO.

Mr Jovanovski on Twitter has called for demonstrations against Hungarian diplomatic missions throughout Europe over the Budapest's proposal to build a wall to keep out refugees, but has remained silent over a controversial May 2015 ruling by the Serbian High Court which rehabilitated an ultra Serb nationalist leader Draza Mihailovic, a World War II leader whose followers collaborated with the Nazis, and who was anti-Macedonian, Albanian and Croat.

Oddly, Mr Jovanovski has deferentially referred to ultra nationalist Serb journalists as "poshtovane kolega " (respected colleagues).

Related stories -

(ROAD) SIGN OF THE TIMES - Serbia’s rocky relationship with Macedonia - see link

ON MACEDONIAN MATTERS  - see link