Support for Macedonia's Name

To Prime Minister Gruevski and the Macedonian government:

We the undersigned wish to thank you for the superb work you and your team are doing and assure you it is not going unnoticed. We would especially like to thank you on behalf of the ethnic Macedonian minorities who live in Greece, Bulgaria and Albania as well as those of us who live in the Diaspora.

It's a disgrace that some European Union members are pressuring Macedonia to change her name as a precondition for EU and NATO membership. That price is too high for membership in these organisations. Who knows if either the EU or NATO will be here in fifty years, yet we must continue to preserve our identity and heritage. Here we are in the year 2008 and the European Union still doesn't recognise the principle of self-determination.

With regard to the Albanian minority in Macedonia, we sympathise with the government's predicament. The recent exit of one Albanian party from the government coalition just weeks before the NATO summit is a testament to their true motives. The Albanian parties have little interest in seeing Macedonia enter the EU or NATO and constantly work to destabilise Macedonia and undermine her future. Some of their demands: a) pensions for terrorists, the immediate recognition of Kosovo without having first established borders and, c) making Albanian an official language, are ridiculous. Albanians represent 25\% of the population yet they want to lord it over the other 75\%.

How much more selfish can they get, especially when you compare the gross human rights situation of the Macedonians living next door in the EU members states.

We would very much like to see the Macedonian parties in the country work in closer cooperation so that Macedonia is not under constant threat by Albanian extremists. We plead with the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia to UNITE and in the upcoming elections put together a strong national government that will look after the interests of everyone. Macedonia needs to get beyond being held hostage by radical Albanians.

How is it the European Union can pressure Macedonian to grant rights to its Albanian minority that the European Union itself refuses to afford Macedonians living in the neighbouring European Union member states? What kind of hypocrisy is that? We ask Javier Solana, Ollie Rehn and the rest of the EU gang that bangs on about rights, where is Europe's voice for the Macedonians living in Greece and Bulgaria - both EU member states? The EU sweeps Macedonians under the rug to protect its political interests and pretends we don't exist. Shame on Brussels for it's racist behaviour toward Macedonians.

The Albanians in Macedonia are legally recognised, they possess linguistic, cultural, and political rights whereas; the Macedonians living in Greece and Bulgaria have ZERO rights. That's right, in the European Union they have NO rights, they aren't even recognised as living breathing human beings of Macedonian heritage.

The Albanians in Macedonia have TV stations, schools, universities, newspapers, cultural centres, mosques and political representation. In Greece and Bulgaria (the EU) the Macedonian minority is not permitted to have any media access (print, electronic, digital), Macedonian language schools are forbidden, our churches have been taken over by the state or destroyed and what little political representation we have been able to cobble together in these oppressive EU regimes is not legally recognised by Athens and Sophia. Is this what the European Union means by human rights?

Not only does the European Union tolerate Greece and Bulgaria's gross mistreatment of Macedonians, it goes so far as to afford political cover to such abuses. I wonder where the EU finds the mouth to demand more rights for the pampered Albanian minority in Macedonia.

Prime Minister Gruevski, we want to thank you and every singly member of your government from the bottom of our hearts for all the wonderful work you are doing on behalf of the rest of us. You have put together a spectacular team of professionals and we acknowledge your hard work and dedication with gratitude. Keep us in your thoughts as you decide how to move forward because what you do affects us very much.

Prime Minister Gruevski, there is a gigantic resource of Macedonians out there waiting to be tapped into. Please, reach out and let us know how we can help you.