Recovering Macedonia Expiration of the Bucharest Treaty of 1913 By Risto Stefov 1 Recovering Macedonia Expiration of the Bucharest Treaty of 1913 Published by: Risto Stefov Publications Toronto, Canada All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written consent from the author, except for the inclusion of brief and documented quotations in a review. Copyright 2007 by Risto Stefov e-book edition 2 PREFACE [Macedonia will remain occupied as long as the Macedonian people are unrecognized, abused and made to feel like strangers on their own native lands. It is a well know fact that Macedonia was invaded, occupied and illegally partitioned by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria in 1912-1913 against the wishes of the Macedonian people. The Serbian occupied part, now known as the Republic of Macedonia gained its independence in 1991 and is today a sovereign state while the parts annexed by Greece and Bulgaria remain occupied.] Even though the title of this book makes reference to the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest expiring, in reality this Treaty has no expiration date. The Treaty of Bucharest is one of the most tragic and significant event in the twenty-eight centuries of Macedonian history. It is the conclusion to a number of preceding bilateral agreements between the Balkan States and an end not only to the Balkan Wars, but also to the many and continuous armed conflicts that took place in Macedonia such as the 1902 Gornodjumajsko uprising, the 1903 Ilinden uprising, the 1908 Young Turk uprising, the so called 1910 and 1911Magareshki assassinations. At the end of all these conflicts the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest was drafted as a means of partitioning the Macedonian territory with intent to eradicate the name “Macedonia” and permanently divide the Macedonian national unity. The desire to see this treaty expire is symbolic and will be used as a means to bring attention to the plight of the Macedonian people and their condition after being divided for almost a century. Inspired by Josef S. G. Gandeto, author of the book “Ancient Macedonians, Differences Between The Ancient Macedonians and The Ancient Greeks”, “Recovering Macedonia” is a comparative historic analysis of the Macedonian people in relation to their neighbours. This book, like Josef Gandeto’s book, is about bringing awareness that Macedonians, contrary to Greek and Bulgarian allegations are not Greeks or Bulgarians but Macedonians and not only exist but thrive and have thrived in Macedonia and the world over for many centuries. This book brings into light the differences and similarities between the Macedonians and their neighbours and their historical progression through the ages to this day. It also asks the question “Why Macedonian’s neighbours are deserving of their own states and self rule and not the Macedonians?” My hopes in writing this book is to bring awareness and inform the Macedonian people that they are just as deserving to have, not only their own state the Republic of Macedonia, but to be recognized and honored as Macedonians in their traditional homeland in Greece and Bulgaria and the world over. 3 Index PREFACE ..........................................................................................3 Index...................................................................................................4 Introduction........................................................................................5 Who were the Ancient People?........................................................11 Who are the Modern People?...........................................................19 The Political Agenda........................................................................24 Great Power Influence in the Balkans..............................................31 The Macedonian Agenda .................................................................38 Treaties and Agreements..................................................................46 Minority Agreements .......................................................................51 From a Majority to a Minority .........................................................58 Denationalizing the Macedonians in Greece....................................65 The Macedonian Revival .................................................................74 The Macedonian Decline ...............................................................141 The Rebirth ....................................................................................172 The Future ......................................................................................179 Greek-Australian Reaction to article “Recovering Macedonia”....186 Skopyians provoke the omogeneia in Australia.............................188 Greece - The Bully of the Balkans.................................................189 The Treaty of Bucharest, August 10, 1913 ....................................193 Bibliography...................................................................................196 4 Introduction It has been almost a century since Macedonia was invaded, occupied and partitioned by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria and to this day Greece and Bulgaria have done nothing to address the needs and rights of the Macedonian people. In fact Greece and Bulgaria have not only ignored the Macedonian people living in their States, but they have done everything they can to denationalize and extinguish them and all that is Macedonian. Ever since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Macedonians have been struggling to assert their identity and to this day Greece and Bulgaria are doing everything they can to stop them. Why? Why haven’t Macedonians succeeded in gaining recognition and taking their rightful place in this world? Why do Greece, Bulgaria and to some extent Albania and Serbia oppose Macedonia’s recognition? The Macedonians only want back what is already theirs. Macedonians have never made unreasonable or outrageous demands yet they still have not succeeded in making any gains. Why not? Why haven’t Greece and Bulgaria addressed the Macedonian question? Why haven’t outside criticisms prompted Greece and Bulgaria to recognize the Macedonian minorities? To adequately tackle these issues we need to go as far back as the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and explore the political climate and circumstances under which the successor States, specifically Greece and Bulgaria were created. Who were the architects of these States and what purpose did they have in mind for them when they were created? Why were Macedonians denied the right to exist in spite of their long history, heroic struggles and desire to create a Macedonian State? Greece was a multicultural, multiethnic state at its inception in 1829 but instead of embracing its true and rich heritage, it opted for something unreal, mythical and bizarre. Why did modern Greece, a multiethnic Christian State abandon its true roots and instead opt to adopt a 2,500 year old dead culture? If Macedonia simultaneously belonged to Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia, as each claimed, why did they then agree to partition it? Why did they sign the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest agreeing to Macedonia’s partition without any signs of protest? To this day Greece and Bulgaria have done nothing to inform their citizens of the truth about Macedonia. Instead they continue to lie and deceive them maintaining that Macedonians don’t exist. Worse, they label Macedonians as criminals and call them thieves for wanting back what is theirs. The term “Macedonia” when used in this series will mean “Ethno- Graphic” or “Geographic” Macedonia. The part of Macedonia occupied by Greece in 1913 will be referred to as “Greek Occupied Macedonia”. The 5 part of Macedonia occupied in 1913 by Bulgaria will be referred to as “Bulgarian Occupied Macedonia”. The part of Macedonia occupied in 1913 by Serbia and declared its independence in 1991, will be referred to as “Republic of Macedonia”. The part of Macedonia given to Albania in 1919 will be referred to as “Albanian Occupied Macedonia”. The Macedonian (Macedonian peoples’) position regarding the Macedonian question There is no Macedonian in this world today who does not want to see Macedonia reunited. Most Macedonians however are realists and are willing to accept less if given a chance. For starters they would like to see the Macedonian minorities in Greece, Bulgaria and Albania gain recognition with full rights and privileges. Macedonians want the Macedonian minorities in Greece, Bulgaria and Albania to enjoy the same rights and privileges that the Albanian and other minorities enjoys in the Republic of Macedonia. The majority of Macedonians want the Republic of Macedonia to join NATO for security purposes to protect its integrity in order to create political stability and attract investment and economic growth. All Macedonians, including those in the Diaspora, want the Republic of Macedonia to join the EU under its constitutional name. Most Macedonians living in the Republic of Macedonia want to join the EU for economic opportunities. Macedonians originally from Greek and Bulgarian occupied Macedonia, who now live in the Diaspora, want Greece to recognize all Macedonians as Macedonian. Those Macedonians who were stripped of their Greek citizenship because they declared themselves Macedonian want to have their citizenship reinstated. Macedonians exiled from Greece would