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Greek Campaign Over Macedonia Has Familiar Look
A campaign by Greek diaspora organizations, urging Athens to halt UN talks with Macedonia over its name, has borrowed the slogan of an earlier campaign by Macedonian diaspora organizations and turned it on its head.
The Greek campaign, which uses the logo “Who Gave You the Right to Negotiate My Name?”, is supported by the Independent Greek Network and the Hellenic-American National Council.
It is also endorsed by the Hellenic Electronic Center, the Hellenic Congress of Quebec, the Movement for Freedom & Justice in Cyprus and the Australian Macedonian Advisory Council.
If it has a very familiar look to it, it is because it is exactly mirrors the slogan of a campaign launched by Macedonian diaspora organizations in 2010, which also ran under the motto “Who Gave You the Right to Negotiate My Name?”
The new campaign criticises the Greek government for offering a compromise name for its northern neighbour that includes the word Macedonia as a geographical qualifier.
It counsels against any possible compound name for Macedonia as a solution to the long-standing "name" dispute, arguing that it betrays Greek interests.
“Consent to a compound name entails the sell-out of our national heritage. It entails consent to Skopjan [Greek derogatory term for Macedonia] irredentism. It entails high treason,” the advert says.
The campaigners say they “will not be fooled” by placing geographical qualifiers, such as "North", "Upper" or "Vardar" before the name "Macedonia".
"North Macedonia" implies there is also a "South" one. "Upper Macedonia” implies there is a "Lower" one, the advert says.
The campaign encourages supporters to send emails urging a halt to UN-sponsored talks to the Greek Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite repeated recommendations by the European Commission to start EU accession talks, Macedonia has never been offered a date to begin EU talks, or join NATO, owing to a Greek blockade related to the dispute over its name.
Greece insists that Macedonia’s name implies territorial claims to its own northern province, also called Macedonia. Macedonia denies this.
The latest UN effort to find a solution to the dispute came last month, ahead of a European Council meeting in December, when EU enlargement and Macedonia's own accession process will again be discussed.
The Macedonian campaign of 2010, using the same slogan, also demanding a halt to UN talks, was launched by the Macedonian Human Rights Movement International and the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee, both diaspora organizations.
As part of the campaign, adverts and billboards appeared in every major Macedonian town and a video commercial was aired on national television.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/arti...ors-macedonian
They're actually doing us a favour. If the idiot Macedonians can't end the negotiations, maybe the Greeks will mess up and end them by mistake.
A campaign by Greek diaspora organizations, urging Athens to halt UN talks with Macedonia over its name, has borrowed the slogan of an earlier campaign by Macedonian diaspora organizations and turned it on its head.
The Greek campaign, which uses the logo “Who Gave You the Right to Negotiate My Name?”, is supported by the Independent Greek Network and the Hellenic-American National Council.
It is also endorsed by the Hellenic Electronic Center, the Hellenic Congress of Quebec, the Movement for Freedom & Justice in Cyprus and the Australian Macedonian Advisory Council.
If it has a very familiar look to it, it is because it is exactly mirrors the slogan of a campaign launched by Macedonian diaspora organizations in 2010, which also ran under the motto “Who Gave You the Right to Negotiate My Name?”
The new campaign criticises the Greek government for offering a compromise name for its northern neighbour that includes the word Macedonia as a geographical qualifier.
It counsels against any possible compound name for Macedonia as a solution to the long-standing "name" dispute, arguing that it betrays Greek interests.
“Consent to a compound name entails the sell-out of our national heritage. It entails consent to Skopjan [Greek derogatory term for Macedonia] irredentism. It entails high treason,” the advert says.
The campaigners say they “will not be fooled” by placing geographical qualifiers, such as "North", "Upper" or "Vardar" before the name "Macedonia".
"North Macedonia" implies there is also a "South" one. "Upper Macedonia” implies there is a "Lower" one, the advert says.
The campaign encourages supporters to send emails urging a halt to UN-sponsored talks to the Greek Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite repeated recommendations by the European Commission to start EU accession talks, Macedonia has never been offered a date to begin EU talks, or join NATO, owing to a Greek blockade related to the dispute over its name.
Greece insists that Macedonia’s name implies territorial claims to its own northern province, also called Macedonia. Macedonia denies this.
The latest UN effort to find a solution to the dispute came last month, ahead of a European Council meeting in December, when EU enlargement and Macedonia's own accession process will again be discussed.
The Macedonian campaign of 2010, using the same slogan, also demanding a halt to UN talks, was launched by the Macedonian Human Rights Movement International and the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee, both diaspora organizations.
As part of the campaign, adverts and billboards appeared in every major Macedonian town and a video commercial was aired on national television.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/arti...ors-macedonian
They're actually doing us a favour. If the idiot Macedonians can't end the negotiations, maybe the Greeks will mess up and end them by mistake.
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