Support for Macedonia's Constitutional Name

Attn: Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

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 Macedonians living 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 its name as a precondition for EU and NATO membership. Here we are in the year 2008 and a few chauvinists in Europe still refuse to respect the principle of self-determination.

Prime Minister Gruevski, we will not hold it against you or your government if a few EU racists block Macedonia's membership in NATO and the EU. You all have done a wonderful job working toward European and NATO integration and Macedonians have sacrificed their lives in this process. We are proud of you.

However, there are sensible limits that must not be crossed. Every ethnic group is entitled to some measure of dignity and that includes Macedonians. We already have a name and a temporary UN description; we don't need three or four of five names merely to appease racists in Athens.

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. There is no room in the government for irredentists and you were wise to put limits on their demands.

We urge the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia to unite and in the upcoming elections put forward a strong national government. For the sake of the country people must learn to put their divisions behind them.

How is it the European Union can pressure Macedonia to grant deluxe rights to the Albanian minority when the EU refuses to grant Macedonians living in the neighbouring EU member states even the most basic human rights? Albanians in Macedonia have TV stations, schools, universities, newspapers, cultural centres, mosques, political representation and much more. What do Macedonians in Greece and Bulgaria have? They have absolutely nothing.

We have no media access, no schools, no churches and what little political representation we have been able to cobble together in these oppressive European Union regimes is not legally recognised. We are most unimpressed with the European Union and its empty claims about human rights and we wish that Macedonians in Greece and Bulgaria (the EU) had half the rights Albanians in Macedonia enjoy.

Prime Minister Gruevski, we want to thank you and every single member of your government from the bottom of our hearts for all the wonderful work you are doing. 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.

Bear in mind, 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.