'The Prime Minister of Macedonia in his letter to Kostas Karamanlis repeats the previously known unacceptable statements regarding non-existent minorities etc...' - Theodoros Roussopoulos, Greek Minister of State & Government spokesperson.
'Today, the Prime Minister of Macedonia speaks about an alleged minority, attacking Greece because it allegedly violates the rights of existent or non-existent minorities... He follows concerted destabilizing orders...' - Andreas Loverdos, former Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP of PASOK main opposition party.
'We are dealing with statements which are unacceptable in form and content, as well as with an unfortunate attempt of raising non-existent and unfounded issues.' - Georgios Koumoutsakos, spokesperson of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
'The issue of a Macedonian minority in Greece is another irredentist declaration and blackmail coming from the government of Macedonia and its protectors...' - Press Release of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).
'He's a common slanderer who crossed all the lines...' - Theodoros Pangalos, former Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP of PASOK party, replying to remarks of the Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki.
The above statements came from top Greek officials and politicians in less than a week's time, only because highly-ranked Macedonian officials "dared" to officially raise the taboo issues of the ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece. And, unfortunately, anyone addressing this issue, along with the repatriation of the Macedonian political refugees who were forcibly expelled from their birth places during the Greek civil war (1946-49), is "provocative", "disgraceful", "slanderer" or "follows orders from unknown patrons".
Then, since ethnic Macedonians inside and outside Greece are "non-existent", we kindly ask all Greek politicians and mainstream media (which bristle with hatred towards Macedonians) to answer the following:
- For whom did the Greek state print in 1925 the Primer of the Macedonian Language “ABECEDAR”? Even before the printing of this book, in a official but secret census the Macedonian language was clearly mentioned. The “non-existent” Macedonian minority spoke a “non-existent” language?
- Who are these that were mentioned in all official national censuses of the Greek state up until 1951 as “macedophones”, “slavophone Macedonians”, of “Slavic”, “non-Greek” or “unstable” national consciousness, of “declared Slavic beliefs”? What happened to them, after 1951?
- Is it possible that they “no longer exist” as former Minister Pangalos stated some years ago?
- If they don’t exist, exactly how did they “disappear”?
- If they still exist, why then Greece keeps calling them “non- existent” every time someone brings up this subject?
- Why was the population of whole villages back in the 60s forced to collective oaths, in order to stop using the “cursed Slavic idiom”?
- Under what excuse did the Greek state allow in 1982 the repatriation only of the political refugees who were “Greek by genus”? This indirectly but clearly means that the thousands of political refugees who had lost their citizenship and cannot return to their birth places are defined as “non-Greek by genus”. The relatives of these people who remained within the Greek borders do not constitute an ethnic minority then?
- Why Greece, with its official and unofficial structures, has created a whole mechanism to impede even a short-term visit to Greece from these political refugees who have clearly stated a non- Greek national conscience? Because of whom was the notorious “unwanted list” in Greek border crossings created , why is it still valid and enhanced today, including not only political refugees but also financial immigrants of Macedonian origin?
- If what Greece claims to be true, that Macedonians are Greeks only, is indeed true, then why does the country prohibit for 18 years now the registration of the cultural association “Home of Macedonian Culture”, pretentiously ignoring relevant rulings in favour of the registration from the European Court for Human Rights?
- Why Greece is reluctant to conduct an official census of all ethnic and linguistic minorities, in order to have an indisputable proof of the existence or non-existence of the Macedonian minority?
- And last but not least, maybe the most important question of all. How is it possible that Greece, a country that constantly fancies itself to be the “cradle of civilization and democracy” is de facto denying at the same time elementary, fundamental human rights to its citizens, like the right to self determination and all that derives from it in educational and cultural fields? Why Greece is not ratifying any of the relevant international conventions it readily signed in the first place?
All Greek officials and politicians of all parties, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister himself should leave false & hypocritical verbalism aside and try to answer the above merciless questions, which no Greek journalist will ever appose. The ethnic Macedonians and all Greek citizens who generously pay for governmental and parliamentary salaries, demand – after more than a century full of hatred, bigotry, obscurantism, egregious lies and slander - to know at last the truth.
