The Macedonian Truth Organisation Inc. (MTO Inc.) would like to call on Macedonians to carefully consider Prime Minister Gruevski’s speech before the United Nations General Assembly before praising it.

Rather than declaring the Interim Accord ‘null and void’, successive Macedonian Governments have continued to undermine and deconstruct Macedonian sovereignty. The Prime Minister has made it blatantly clear that his Government is willing to accept a name change and has even offered to organise a ‘referendum’ to rubber stamp such an act.

Worse yet, the Prime Minister has insulted all Macedonians by promoting the capitulations under the Interim Accord, and in particular the imposed changes by a foreign government to the Macedonian Constitution and flag, as a ‘positive’ step. Only the Macedonian people have the sovereign right to determine the content of their own Constitution and national symbols.

The Interim Accord is an attack on Macedonian freedom and the Macedonian identity. To have the Prime Minister continue to implement such an Accord and speak of it in such high regard is an act of treason against his own sovereign – the Macedonian people.

The MTO Inc. again calls on the Macedonian Government to declare the Interim Accord ‘null and void’, and in doing so, end all negotiations concerning Macedonia’s name, which only the Macedonians themselves have a right to determine. The MTO Inc. further urges the Macedonian Government to simply inform the United Nations of its official state name as “Republic of Macedonia” for conventional long-form purposes and “Macedonia” for conventional short-form purposes, without undertaking unnecessarily complicated readmission procedures which will only further undermine Macedonian sovereignty.

Justice and Defence

The Macedonian Truth Organisation (MTO Inc.) has expressed its deep concern about the ruling party in the Macedonian Government, VMRO-DPMNE, for continuing its coalition with the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), formally known as the National Liberation Army (NLA). During the 2001 conflict, the NLA committed terrorist acts against the Macedonian state and its civilians, posing a great threat to Macedonian sovereignty, and a number of its members are now high-profile political figures in DUI.

Consequently, the MTO Inc. is appalled at the recent decision to award DUI with the positions of Ministers for Justice and Defence, and the decision to grant amnesty to war criminals. With this move, VMRO-DPMNE has ensured that these war crimes and terror suspects will never face justice. VMRO-DPMNE has also demonstrated a complete lack of regard for the Macedonians who lost their lives during the conflict, and for their grieving family members who’s concerns have remained unaddressed.

These treacherous policies merely serve to highlight the incompetence on the part of VMRO-DPMNE, who have entrusted the defence of the Macedonian state to a group that attempted to destroy it through armed force only a decade ago. The MTO Inc. strongly urges the ruling Macedonian party to end its coalition with DUI and remove its members from positions of public trust.

The MTO Inc. opposes the Framework Agreement and the consequent actions that have resulted from its implementation, which are detrimental to Macedonian sovereignty. The MTO Inc. calls upon the Macedonian Government to replace the Framework Agreement together with its associated constitutional provisions and statutory legislation, with models based on international best-practice, which will restore Macedonia as a Macedonian state guaranteeing the natural rights and responsibilities of all citizens.

Warrior on a horse

The Macedonian Truth Organisation (MTO Inc.) is thoroughly disturbed by the continued attempts of the Macedonian Government to dilute the significance of Macedonia’s symbols and historical figures.

The most recent example has been the deplorable treatment of the statue in Skopje of Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia. In its on-going effort to cater to the outrageous demands of foreign elements, the Macedonian Government has decided to erroneously name the statue ‘Warrior on a Horse’, which is a complete insult to the memory of Macedonia’s most famous son. Furthermore, on the other nearby statues depicting ancient Macedonian soldiers, the Macedonian sun on the shields has been altered by the exclusion of some of the sun’s rays, rendering it historically inaccurate. These actions are consistent with the removal of other Macedonian symbols in Macedonia in order to appease Greek chauvinism.

These actions represent further capitulations stemming from the treasonous ‘Interim Accord’ that was signed by the Macedonian Government in 1995, which intensified Greece’s racist policies against the Macedonian people.

The MTO Inc. finds these actions demeaning to all Macedonians across the world and condemns the Macedonian Government for contributing yet another blow to the sovereignty of the Macedonian state. The MTO Inc. is unequivocally opposed to the ‘Interim Accord’ and any such actions that pertain to it, and calls on the Macedonian Government to immediately declare this treacherous agreement ‘null and void’.

Friend or Foe

The Macedonian Truth Organisation Inc. (MTO Inc.) has expressed its condemnation of the recent comments made by the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who warned Macedonia that unless it changes its official name to an alternative that is acceptable to Greece, it will not progress any further on its path to European integration.

Clinton made the comments while visiting Greece to discuss the dispute with Macedonia and the current debt crisis. However, she did not visit Macedonia nor meet with any Macedonian representatives. “This is a clear example of how the current US Government is negating the sovereignty of the Macedonian state and sidelining its concerns”, remarked Nikola Jovanovski, President of the MTO Inc. “The US already recognises Macedonia by its official name”, continued Jovanovski, “which makes this recent statement all the more ironic and hypocritical.”

The MTO Inc. strongly advises the US Government to stand by its own principles stemming from natural law and those of the United Nations Charter by respecting the sovereignty of Macedonia and its right to self-determination. The MTO Inc. also urges the US Government to assist Greece in meeting its obligations to secure the human rights of Macedonians living within its borders.

Furthermore, the MTO Inc. demands that the Macedonian Government appropriately address the unfortunate comments made by Clinton, and demonstrate solidarity with the Macedonian people by representing their interests more assertively, rather than allowing external elements to dictate a compromise on their national sovereignty and historical identity.

Mutually Acceptable Solution

The Macedonian Truth Organisation Inc. (MTO Inc.) has conveyed its exasperation with the Macedonian Government for its continued commitment to the name negotiations.

“Time and again, we have heard the Macedonian Government speak of a mutually acceptable solution for the current ‘name dispute’, an issue that was created by Greece and which has been perpetuated since Macedonia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991″, said Nikola Jovanovski, President of the MTO Inc. “However, no such solution exists, and the very idea that one does is nothing more than an attempt to blind the Macedonian people from the real issues at hand - the gross violation of their natural rights by both the Macedonian and foreign governments”, he continued.

The European Union has made it abundantly clear that Macedonia will not gain entry until the ‘name dispute’ has been settled, and NATO has no qualms shunning Macedonia during their annual summits, despite the fact that it is more than happy to accept assistance from the Macedonian Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In effect, Macedonians need to relinquish their inalienable rights to freedom of thought and expression, as they pertain to their identity.

“The Macedonian people remain the ultimate victims. And while members of the Macedonian Government don’t seem to be troubled with the gross violation of natural rights that the ‘acronym’ in fact creates, the Macedonian people across the world most certainly are”, Jovanovski stated.

The phrase ’salvation lies within’ has never rang more true. Macedonians cannot expect to have their natural rights respected until they themselves begin to do so first.

Therefore, the MTO Inc. calls on the Macedonian Government to end the shame that has crippled the Macedonians across the world by declaring the Interim Accord ‘null and void’, and in doing so, end all negotiations concerning this fundamental issue that only the Macedonians themselves have a right to determine. The MTO Inc. further urges the Macedonian Government to inform the United Nations of its official state name as “Republic of Macedonia” for conventional long-form purposes and “Macedonia” for conventional short-form purposes, and to exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter.

Finally, the MTO Inc. calls on the Macedonian citizens to assert themselves and their inalienable natural rights by demanding transparency and accountability from the Macedonian Government.