Latest News & Developments

[Karposh]

It might have something to do with the Serb soldiers who stayed there for a time after doing the runner when the Austrians and Germans invaded during WW1.

Thanks SoM, that makes sense.

[vicsinad]

From Wiki re Dragotin:

It is first mentioned in 1473. Dragotina was named after the surname Dragotis or Draotis, or even Draonis. This is one version of the story, the other is that it was named after the village Dragoti in Thesprotia, from a place where a great number of people had to move to Corfu. According to a different notion the village’s name means ‘dragatis’ translated as rural police. A final version is the Slav name Dragotino. The village used to be near Spartera at the foot of Taxiarchis hill towards the lower Klismata. In the area the sandy beach Kanoula is found.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragotina,_Greece

[Carlin]

Barbaric murder.

I've seen news outlets (including Macedonian ones) report that Petrit Zifle is an Albanian - not that it matters here. May his soul rest in peace.

URL:

http://www.tiranatimes.com/?p=139522

TIRANA, Dec. 4 – The Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs issued a statement Tuesday on Petrit Zifle’s murder in the hands of a Greek Golden Dawn member, calling on Greek authorities to conduct a full investigation on the circumstances that led to the 63-year-old’s murder.

“The ministry issues its condolences to the passing away of citizen Petrit Zifle, congratulates the capturing of the perpetrator by the Greek police, and calls for a thorough clarification of the circumstances of the incident,” the statement reads.

[Soldier of Macedon]

From Wiki re Dragotin

Well it was one or the other. That name seems to be more prevalent among Serbs than others hence the earlier suggestion. In any case, the Greeks must not have seen it as a threat on that island which is why they didn’t bother whitewashing its historical name, unlike elsewhere.

[Carlin]

According to Max Vasmer the presence of Slavs on the island of Corfu is apparently proven by historical facts as well as toponyms such as Dragotina (which appear on his list for Corfu).

From the same wikipedia link above, shared by vicsinad:

"Famous surnames of the 16th century are Vlachopoulos, Grantos in 1507, Vamvakas, Gardikiotis, Therianos, Kontomaris, Mihalitzis, Vlassis, Melahrinos, Smoilis, and Arvanitis."


PS:

Unrelated, but I found the following rather interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfiot_Italians

Corfiot Italians

During these centuries, many Venetians moved to the island. Because of its association with the ruling elite, by the end of the 15th century, the influence of the Italian language and culture (including in some ways the Roman Catholic church) assumed a predominant role in the island. Until the second half of the 20th century the Veneto da mar was spoken in Corfu, and the local Greek language assimilated a large number of Italian and Venetian words, many of which are still common today. Indeed, even before the fall of the Byzantine Empire much of the population in Corfu spoke the Veneto da mar or the Mediterranean Lingua Franca Sabir as a second, or first, language.

"Corfu had also a demographic problem because of the constant Turkish invasions. Venice declared an invitation to everyone who wanted to move and live in Corfu. Cretans, Peloponnesians, people from Epirus and many Venetians were moved to Corfu. Pieces of land were given to Venetians in order to stay on the island permanently."

[vicsinad]

Oh, Macedonia.

Macedonia parliament attack amnesty sparks prison protest

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Hundreds of inmates at Macedonia's main prison outside the capital have refused to accept meals to press demands that an amnesty expected to be granted for suspects involved in a violent political protest at parliament last year be expanded to other offences.

Justice Ministry officials said Monday that around 600 inmates were taking part in the protest, adding that the government had flatly ruled out considering their demands.

The prisoners have reportedly warned that their families and supporters are also planning protests outside the jail in solidarity.

Draft legislation granting a general amnesty to suspects involved in the 2017 parliament attack by pro-conservative protesters is due to be submitted to the legislature by the end of the week.

The attack left more than 100 people injured, including lawmakers and journalists.

[Phoenix]

Oh, Macedonia.

Macedonia parliament attack amnesty sparks prison protest

...and after the murderers, rapists, thugs and thieves, it will be those with speeding fines and parking infringements, then all recipients of red cards from last weekends football matches...

[Momce Makedonce]

Don't know much about the people in the vid, but I like the way they defended and spoke about the original Macedonian Sun.

https://www.facebook.com/100006716443191/posts/2290591131174746/

[Gocka]

Nice to see and hear, even though these moments are few and far between, they still give me hope that one day we can overcome all this madness.

Don't know much about the people in the vid, but I like the way they defended and spoke about the original Macedonian Sun.

https://www.facebook.com/10000671644...0591131174746/

[Karposh]

Don't know much about the people in the vid, but I like the way they defended and spoke about the original Macedonian Sun.

https://www.facebook.com/10000671644...0591131174746/

Inspirational video indeed MM. So good to see. That pathetic disgrace of a police officer that rang up to bitch to his superiors that a Macedonian flag was on display at the protest should be ashamed of himself. If he is a Macedonian then he should hang his head in shame, that absolute pig. Like the good man defending the flag said, thousands of shiptar flags are being allowed to fly in Tetovo and other places in Macedonia, and this, a Macedonian flag in the capital of Macedonia, is apparently a problem for him. No doubt he would have received his orders from above but what a servile dumb cunt just the same. These type of so-called Macedonians need to be culled out of the general Macedonian population and not allowed to reproduce.

[Carlin]

URL:

http://www.ekathimerini.com/235554/article/ekathimerini/news/zaev-reignites-controversy-over-macedonian-language

Reigniting the controversy over the issue of a "Macedonian" language, Premier Zoran Zaev said Monday, “It is important that both sides be careful about our phraseology.”

“It’s a fact that the [name] agreement contains a reference to a ‘Macedonian language,’ it’s a fact that this belongs to the Southern Slavic languages and this is… part of the agreement, as is the fact that we shall be named Republic of North Macedonia,” he said.

Meanwhile Monday, House Speaker Talat Xhaferi said he expected a vote by MPs on the final amendments to revise the constitution in accordance with the Prespes accord will most likely be held on January 15.

[Rogi]

Don't know much about the people in the vid, but I like the way they defended and spoke about the original Macedonian Sun.

https://www.facebook.com/10000671644...0591131174746/

I'm not sure who the first person that speaks is, however the person speaking to the camera in front of the flag is Filip Petrovski who is a former Member of Parliament from VMRO-DPMNE and an active member of DPMNE and one of those opposing Mickoski for the leadership of the party.

[Carlin]

Macedonia Moves Forward With Amnesty Law

A much-disputed law offering an amnesty to some of those involved in last year’s mob attack on the Macedonian parliament is moving closer towards adoption, following completion of a draft law.

URL:

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonia-amnesty-law-moves-forward-12-13-2018

The Macedonian parliament’s so-called committee on reconciliation finished drafting a law on Wednesday offering an amnesty to those who took part in last year’s violent rampage in parliament.

If matters go as planned, the law will soon find itself on the list for speedy adoption.

The draft law will offer amnesty only to those who did not personally commit any violent acts in the rampage and who did not organize the events, an opposition VMRO DPMNE MP, Zekir Ramcilovic, told the media on Wednesday.

Ramcilovic, who is a member of the committee that worked on the draft, insisted that the amnesty will not diminish the importance of the ongoing trial against 33 suspects accused of participating in the violence of April 27, 2017.

“This way, we think the process [the ongoing trial] which should provide answers about what happened on April 27 will continue, and we will have a legal ending where justice finds its place,” he said.

Meanwhile, the MP added: “We will have an amnesty for some of the people who were part of the events, and so we are making the first step towards relaxing the divisions in society that emerged after this event”.

The parliamentary committee will likely soon submit the draft for adoption at a plenary session, under a shortened procedure.

The planned “selective” amnesty has drawn much criticism for the country's Social Democrat Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev.

Critics accuse him of trading the rule of law for opposition votes in order to reach the political goal of implementing the historic agreement with Greece on the country's name.

This would then unlock Macedonia’s stalled Euro-Atlantic integration process, allowing it to join NATO and open talks on membership with the EU. Zaev has repeated that he is willing to “pay a political price” for the amnesty.

The body that worked on the amnesty was formed on the initiative of the eight opposition MPs, seven of whom are now excluded from VMRO DPNNE.

This is because in October they provided Zaev with crucial support for the start of the parliamentary procedure on the Greek deal – while conditioning their further support on progress in reconciliation that would include an amnesty.

Three of the eight opposition MPs are among those on trial for involvement in the attack on parliament.

The final vote on the constitutional changes that form part of the Greek deal is expected on January 15.

The opposition VMRO DPMNE leadership is not part of this reconciliation process. It has demanded an amnesty for all the defendants in the trial over the rampage in parliament.

URL:

https://a1on.mk/archives/988160

When all is said and done there may be more than 80 MPs who will vote Yes for the constitutional changes on January 15.

[vicsinad]

Serbia talks up armed intervention as Kosovo approves new army

Serbia has talked up the possibility of an armed intervention in Kosovo after the parliament in Pristina overwhelmingly approved the formation of an army.

Belgrade called the move the “most direct threat to peace and stability in the region”, while Nato’s chief said it was “ill-timed” and urged dialogue.

All present 107 politicians in the 120-seat Kosovan parliament voted in favour of passing three draft laws to expand an existing 4,000 Kosovo security force and turn it into a regular, lightly armed army. Ethnic Serb politicians boycotted the vote.

Serbia insists the new army violates a UN resolution that ended Kosovo’s 1998-99 war of independence. It has warned bluntly that it may respond with an armed intervention in the former province. The Serbian prime minister, Ana Brnabić, said this was “one of the options on the table”.

The president, Aleksandar Vučić, visited Serbian troops on the border with Kosovo on Friday. Nikola Selaković, an adviser to Vučić, said Serbia could send in armed forces or declare Kosovo an occupied territory. The foreign minister, Ivica Dačić, said Serbia would seek an urgent session of the United Nations security council over the issue.
In Serb-dominated northern Kosovo, the Serb leader Goran Rakić said the new army was “unacceptable” and “showed clearly that Pristina does not want peace.” Rakić urged Serbs in Kosovo to show “restraint and not respond to provocations”.

In a sign of defiance, Serbs in the north displayed Serbian flags on streets and balconies, while Nato-led peacekeepers were deployed on a bridge in the ethnically divided northern town of Mitrovica.
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Russia’s foreign ministry denounced the Kosovan move and said the army must be disbanded.

Any Serbian armed intervention in Kosovo would mean a direct confrontation with thousands of Nato-led peacekeepers, including US soldiers, stationed in Kosovo since 1999.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move not recognised by Belgrade or its ally Russia, and tensions have remained high between the two sides.

Nato and the European Union, which has led years-long talks to improve ties between the Balkan neighbours, expressed regret that Kosovo had decided to go ahead with the army formation.

“I reiterate my call on both Pristina and Belgrade to remain calm and refrain from any statements or actions which may lead to escalation,” said Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general.

The army will preserve its current name, Kosovo Security Force, but will have a new mandate. In about a decade the army expects to have 5,000 troops and 3,000 reservists, and a €98m annual budget. It will handle crisis response and civil protection operations – essentially what the current paramilitary force, which is lightly armed, does. Its main tasks will be search and rescue, firefighting and disposal of explosive ordnance and hazardous material.

It was not immediately clear how much more equipment or weapons the army will have.

Serbia fears the move’s main purpose is to chase the Serb minority out Kosovo’s north, a claim strongly denied by Pristina.

The US reaffirmed its support for “the gradual transition … to a force with a territorial defence mandate, as is Kosovo’s sovereign right.”

The Kosovan war ended with a 78-day Nato air campaign in June 1999 that halted a Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/14/kosovo-to-create-army-in-defiance-of-serbia-and-nato

[Gocka]

Some pretty over the top claims there, I wonder how serious the Serbs are about getting into an armed conflict. Pre Trump I would have said that there is no change, but now, I guess anything is possible.

I can imagine a scenario where Serbia does something bold, Russia backs them up, and the US sits this one out. It would be a total 180 on the US's part, but it seems that's what Trump is going for on most positions.

If the Serbs were ever serious about doing something, this point in time is probably the only potential opening they will get. Otherwise when Stumpy is out of office, all bets are off.

Serbia talks up armed intervention as Kosovo approves new army

Serbia has talked up the possibility of an armed intervention in Kosovo after the parliament in Pristina overwhelmingly approved the formation of an army.

Belgrade called the move the “most direct threat to peace and stability in the region”, while Nato’s chief said it was “ill-timed” and urged dialogue.

All present 107 politicians in the 120-seat Kosovan parliament voted in favour of passing three draft laws to expand an existing 4,000 Kosovo security force and turn it into a regular, lightly armed army. Ethnic Serb politicians boycotted the vote.

Serbia insists the new army violates a UN resolution that ended Kosovo’s 1998-99 war of independence. It has warned bluntly that it may respond with an armed intervention in the former province. The Serbian prime minister, Ana Brnabić, said this was “one of the options on the table”.

The president, Aleksandar Vučić, visited Serbian troops on the border with Kosovo on Friday. Nikola Selaković, an adviser to Vučić, said Serbia could send in armed forces or declare Kosovo an occupied territory. The foreign minister, Ivica Dačić, said Serbia would seek an urgent session of the United Nations security council over the issue.
In Serb-dominated northern Kosovo, the Serb leader Goran Rakić said the new army was “unacceptable” and “showed clearly that Pristina does not want peace.” Rakić urged Serbs in Kosovo to show “restraint and not respond to provocations”.

In a sign of defiance, Serbs in the north displayed Serbian flags on streets and balconies, while Nato-led peacekeepers were deployed on a bridge in the ethnically divided northern town of Mitrovica.
Advertisement

Russia’s foreign ministry denounced the Kosovan move and said the army must be disbanded.

Any Serbian armed intervention in Kosovo would mean a direct confrontation with thousands of Nato-led peacekeepers, including US soldiers, stationed in Kosovo since 1999.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move not recognised by Belgrade or its ally Russia, and tensions have remained high between the two sides.

Nato and the European Union, which has led years-long talks to improve ties between the Balkan neighbours, expressed regret that Kosovo had decided to go ahead with the army formation.

“I reiterate my call on both Pristina and Belgrade to remain calm and refrain from any statements or actions which may lead to escalation,” said Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general.

The army will preserve its current name, Kosovo Security Force, but will have a new mandate. In about a decade the army expects to have 5,000 troops and 3,000 reservists, and a €98m annual budget. It will handle crisis response and civil protection operations – essentially what the current paramilitary force, which is lightly armed, does. Its main tasks will be search and rescue, firefighting and disposal of explosive ordnance and hazardous material.

It was not immediately clear how much more equipment or weapons the army will have.

Serbia fears the move’s main purpose is to chase the Serb minority out Kosovo’s north, a claim strongly denied by Pristina.

The US reaffirmed its support for “the gradual transition … to a force with a territorial defence mandate, as is Kosovo’s sovereign right.”

The Kosovan war ended with a 78-day Nato air campaign in June 1999 that halted a Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...erbia-and-nato