We, the Macedonians Defending Our Dignity and Respecting Our Hellenic Ancestry and Our Hellenic Cultural Heritage

COMMUNICATION NETWORK OF MACEDONIAN GREEKS ALL OVER THE WORLD 9 Pelloponissou st. – 58200 Edessa - Region of Central Macedonia – Greece e-mail: [email protected] - http://macedonianscommon.blogspot.com

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Edessa 01-24- 2011

We, the Macedonians Defending our dignity and respecting our Hellenic ancestry and our Hellenic cultural heritage

We declare that

1. We are indigenous residents of the geographical area between Prespes Lakes and the Nestos river, east of Pindos mountain range, and between Olympus and Orvilos mountains, and we are Hellenes (Greeks) due to common blood, common religion, common language and common ways of living as it is mentioned by all ancient writers.  Document 1: «The geographical boundaries of historical Macedonia»  Document 2: «The identity of Macedonians in the ancient texts»

2. We have identified ourselves as Macedonians, since thousands of years, from the name of Macedon (who was the son of the greatest ancient Hellene God Zeus and Thyia, brother of Magnes and nephew of Hellen) and we call Macedonia, the land we live in. The word Macedon comes from the Hellenic word “makos” which means long or tall.  Document 3: «Mythological tradition of ancient Hellenes»

3. Since then, we live in the geographical area of Macedonia and, maintaining our specific Macedonian identity, we participate in any phase of the Hellenic history along with the Thra- cians (Residents of the Hellenic region of Thrace), Epirotes (Residents of the Hellenic region of Epirus), Thessalians (Residents of the Hellenic region of Thessalia), Cretans (Residents of the Hellenic island of Crete) and along with other Hellenes.  Document 4: «The continuous presence of Macedonians in the Hellenic history»

4. As indigenous people in the geographical area of historical Macedonia, as indigenous Macedonians, according to our free will and the United Nations’ Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Article 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 26, 33, 42), our ancestry and our ethnicity is Hellenic. A smole part of us, speak, in parallel with the Hellenic language, and a quasi-Slavic local idiom, which we call “Endopika”. (the word “Endopika” means “local” in the Hellenic language). They speak this local idiom due to some specific historical conditions in their geographical area, and this does not mean that they have lost their Hellenic identity.  Document 5: «The quasi-Slavic local idiom “Endopika “» 1

5. We do not accept to give up our ancestral name “Macedonian” and our historical and cultural identity to the multinational population of Former Yugoslav Republic of Mac- edonia (F.Y.R.O.M.). The F.Y.R.O.M. officially consists of twenty-one (21) ethnicities, in which Slav and Albanian are the predominant ones.  Document 6: «Official censuses in the region of Skopje»  Document 7: «The identity of Slavs in the area of F.Y.R.O.M.»

6. We do not accept that the area of Skopje will be called “Macedonia” in order to facili- tate the expansionist plans of the government of F.Y.R.O.M. against Hellas. The area of Skopje was never included in the historical boundaries of Macedonia, where we the Mace- donians always lived.  Document 1: «The geographical boundaries of historical Macedonia»  Document 8: «Photographs of F.Y.R.O.M.’s government members in front of the map of the “Great Macedonia”»

7. We do not authorize any politician of Hellas to give up our name “Macedonian” to the Slavic population of the F.Y.R.O.M. by accepting a compound name or a geographical complement containing the term “Macedonia” or any of its derivatives to be included in the permanent name of F.Y.R.O.M. The politicians of Hellas are bound by the summit of the political leaders which took place on 04/13/1992 in Athens, under the President of the Hellenic Republic which decided to not accept the inclusion of the term “Macedonia” and any of its derivatives in the permanent name of F.Y.R.O.M. This official decision reflects fully the will of the Hellenic people and can be changed only by a referendum, which is the most democratic solution for such a critical issue.  Document 7: «The identity of Slavs in the area of F.Y.R.O.M.»

We request

1. To respect our self-identification as Macedonians, which has been existing for thousands of years.

2. To respect our Macedonian historical and cultural identity, within the Hellenic civiliza- tion.

3. To prevent our historical and cultural plundering which exist, as indigenous Macedo- nian Hellenes, from the state propaganda of F.Y.R.O.M. This propaganda is aiming at the appropriation of our name, our historical and cultural heritage in order to present a big part of our Hellenic history as Slavic so as to claim land from Hellas.  Document 8: «Photographs of F.Y.R.O.M.’s government members in front of the maps of the “Great Macedonia”»

4. To protect the human rights of indigenous Macedonian Hellenes, who have been living up to now in the southern part of the territory of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.). Specially assist them to acquire their human right a) to declare their Hellenic ethnic ancestry in the census, and b) to freely practice their religion in “canoni- cal” churches.  Document 6: «Official censuses in the region of F.Y.R.O.M.»  Document.9: «Ecclesiastic problems in F.Y.R.O.M.»

5. Do not allow the change of the geographical term “Macedonian” to an ethnic termi- nology, for the Slav population of F.Y.R.O.M. This population, is the majority in F.Y.R.O.M., speaks Slavic (they can be easily understood by other Slavic people such as Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Russians and others), and write with the Cyrillic alphabet, which is the specific characteristic of Slavic languages. They should be proud to be Slavs and live 2 in an area which was called Vardaria (Vardarska) until 1944. The department of History in the University of Skopje teaches that their Slavs ancestors appeared in the Balkans after 600 AD. (Document 7: «The identity of Slavs in the area of F.Y.R.O.M.») This means that their Slav ancestors appeared 900 years after the death of Alexander III the Great (356-323 BC) King of Macedonia and Commander in chief of the Hellenes against the Persians. Moreover it is impossible that they have any racial affinity with us, the Macedonians, who have always lived in the geographical area of historical Macedonia.

6. Do not put a pressure on the politicians of Hellas to accept the term “Macedonia”, in the final name of the multinational state of F.Y.R.O.M., by providing proposals of Unit- ed Nation’s (UN) special negotiator, which are totally unhistorical and offensive to us. The area of F.Y.R.O.M. is located in the central Balkans and the river Vardar flows through of this area. This area, in 1944, completely arbitrarily and against the historical truth, was re- named from Vardaria (Vardarska) to Macedonia for political and expansionistic reasons by the Communist leader of Yugoslavia Tito. (Document 10: «Circular telegram 868.014/26Dec1944. Ed- ward Stettinius U.S. Secretary of State»). Everyone knows that the most accurate names for the definitive name of this new multinational state are “Republic of Central Balkan” or “Republic of Vardaria (Vardarska)”.

7. To remind to all the states in the world that this new multinational state has been temporarily recognized by the United Nations as «Former Yugoslav Republic of Mac- edonia» (F.Y.R.O.M.) and urge them to respect this decision in order to maintain the prestige and credibility of the United Nations as the supreme international organiza- tion. Anyone who uses the name “Macedonia” instead of F.Y.R.O.M. as a name for this state, breaks the international law and does not respect the historical truth. This causes re- sentment to all the Hellenes and especially to us the Macedonians. This also causes re- sentment to all the people, all over the world, who know history and don’t have any political agenda.  Document 11: «Letter from Stephen Miller, Professor of Archaeology, University of California, Berkeley (USA) to the magazine “Archaeology” in USA»  Document 12: «Letter from 370 University Professors, all over the world, to the President of USA Barack Obama»

We do invite

The Honorable Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moun, the special negotiator Mr. Matthew Nimitz, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and any other of your official representative, to host and guide them in the following archaeological sites, in order to ascertain the Hellenic identity and the continuity of ancient and contemporary real Macedonians:  In the archaeological site of Aiges (the first capital of the Macedonian Kingdom),  In the archaeological site of Pella (the second and last capital of the Macedonian Kingdom),  In the archaeological site of Dion (the sacred town of Macedonians at the foot of Mount Olympus, the home of the twelve Hellenic Gods),  In the archaeological site of Aiani Kozani in the upper Macedonia (the cradle of Macedoni- ans),  In the ancient Macedonian tombs which were found in the municipalities of Pella, Naοussa, Verroia and in other places of the Region of Central Macedonia in Hellas,  In the archaeological museum of Thessaloniki.

FOR THE COMMON OF MACEDONIANS

Α) Associations from the regions of West, Central and East Macedonia in Hellas:  Association of Edessa’s citizens “Ion Dragoumis”  Association of Macedonian veterans Descendants of Edessa  Folklore Society of Pella Prefecture  Association of Edessa’s Friends of Antiquities “The Timenides”  Cultural Association “Edessa’s Book friends”  Association of “Macedonian Cultural Home” of Aridaia  Association of “Friends of Macedonian Cultural Tradition” of Almopia  Educational association of Ida Eksaplatanos “Ion Dragoumis”  Historical and Folklore Society of Giannitsa “Filippos”  Macedonian Dance and Cultural Association “Amyntas” of Kalyvia  Educational and Environmental Club of Pella “Ancient Pella”  Cultural association of Kato Grammatiko “Patriarchis Xrysanthos”  Community of Letters and Arts of Kozani Prefecture  Educational Association of Florina “Aristotle”  Cultural association Ethniko-Kratero- Agia Paraskevi of Florina “Alexander the Great”.  Cultural Associaton “Elpida Melitis”of Florina.  Pan- Hellenic Association of Macedonian veterans descendants “Pavlos Mellas”  Pan-Hellenic Cultural Society "Makednos" Thessaloniki  Federation of Western Macedonian Associations of Thessaloniki  “Team 21” Macedonia – Thrace  Cultural and Educational Society in Arnaia-Chalkidiki  Macedonian Artistic Society of Kilkis “Art”  Society for Study and Research of the history of Serres

B) Associations from the part of historical Macedonia in F.Y.R.O.M. and Bulgaria:  Association of people from Monastiri (Bitola) of Thessaloniki “Karteria”

C) Associations from the rest of Greece:  Pan-Macedonian Confederation in Athens  Federation of Western Macedonian Associations in the prefecture of Attiki  Confederation of Macedonians in the area of Attica  Association “Alexander Filippou Greek Macedon”

D) Associations from the rest of the world:  Pan-Macedonian Association of USA  Pan-Macedonian Association of Australia  Pan-Macedonian Association of Canada  Pan-Macedonian Association of Europe  Pan-Macedonian Sections of Africa

Documents mentioned above will be sent to you as soon as the translation, in the English language, will be completed.

DOCUMENTS

 document number 1 «The geographical boundaries of historical Macedonia»  document number 2 «The identity of Macedonians in the ancient texts»  document number 3 «Mythological tradition of ancient Hellenes »  document number 4 «The continuous presence of Macedonians in the Hellenic history»  document number 5 «The local dialect»  document number 6 «Official censuses in the region of Skopje»  document number 7 «The identity of Slavs in the area of F.Y.R.O.M.»  document number 8 «Photographs of F.Y.R.O.M.’s government members in front of the maps of the “Great Macedonia”»  document number 9: «Religious problems in F.Y.R.O.M.»  document number 10 «Circular telegram 868.014/26Dec1944. Edward Stettinius U.S. Secre- tary of State »  document number 11 «Letter from Stephen Miller, Professor of Archaeology, University of California, Berkeley (U.S.A.) to the magazine “Archaeology” in U.S.A.»  document number 12 «Letter from 364 University Professors, all over the world to the Presi- dent of the U.S.A., Barack Obama»