Thursday, February 8th., 2018 O Κόσμος τόχει τούμπανο και εμείς* κρυφό καμάρι!

Thursday, February 8th., 2018

“Macedonians are brainwashed Bulgarians”
"Bulgaria still does not recognise the Macedonian language, which it views as a dialect of Bulgarian. "

O Κόσμος τόχει τούμπανο και  εμείς* κρυφό καμάρι!
όπου :εμείς* = οι άψυχες ελληνικές;;;, δουλικά διαχειριστικές διακυβερνήσεις στην πλειοψηφία τους, μετά τον ΒΠΠ....    μ.λ.π.
{...In a recent interview, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has made a turn of 180 degrees regarding the recognition of the so-called “Macedonian” language...."Before that she shared the same understanding with P.M. Boyko Borissov:
<<...Besides, Bulgaria may have been the first to recognise the “Republic of Macedonia” in 1999, but has never recognised the “Macedonian language” or the “Macedonian Nation”, because both are considered elements of its historical “heritage”...>>"

"...Macedonia, or the disputed name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), a small ex-Yugoslav republic of about 2 million, gained independence from Belgrade in 1991 with Sofia being the first to recognise Macedonia as an independent state. But Bulgaria still does not recognise the Macedonian language, which it views as a dialect of Bulgarian. Also, Bulgarians still insist that the Macedonians are not a separate nation, but a part of the Bulgarian nation.  “Macedonians are brainwashed Bulgarians” – almost every Bulgarian will say, when asked about their neighbours...."

"...The Director of the National Historical Museum of Sofia and history Professor Mr Bozidar Dimitrov, also opposed to Ms Zacharieva’s statements and stated that “The language is not recognised by the governments but by the linguistic institutes”. Mr Dimitrov had also recently stressed in an interview for FYROM’s Zveta newspaper that the so-called “Macedonian” language originates from the Bulgarian “Bardaric” dialect..."  }

Treaty with Bulgaria – first step of Macedonia’s rocky road to EU and NATO

By milen marinov on August 6, 2017 • ( Leave a comment )

In a move designed to end years of diplomatic wrangling and boost Macedonia’s European and NATO integration, on Tuesday Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev signed a friendship treaty.
Signing of this treaty ended a process that lasted for over 20 years. In practice, every Bulgarian government since 1997 has pursued this agreement. It has also been the case that every Bulgarian foreign minister called on his Macedonian counterpart to first sign a Neighbourhood Agreement and then to negotiate everything else.
Hypocritical relations
Relations between these two Balkan countries have always been marked with some kind of hypocrisy. Macedonia, or the disputed name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), a small ex-Yugoslav republic of about 2 million, gained independence from Belgrade in 1991 with Sofia being the first to recognise Macedonia as an independent state. But Bulgaria still does not recognise the Macedonian language, which it views as a dialect of Bulgarian. Also, Bulgarians still insist that the Macedonians are not a separate nation, but a part of the Bulgarian nation.  “Macedonians are brainwashed Bulgarians” – almost every Bulgarian will say, when asked about their neighbours. Respectively, Macedonians call the Bulgarians “Gypsies” and “Mongols”, and they frequently destroy and demolish Bulgarian graves, monuments and plaques on the Macedonian territory. It is not unusual for Bulgarians to be detained during tourist visits to Macedonia and subjected to abuse and unreasonably rude treatment by the Macedonian authorities. But officially, both governments describe the relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia as “friendly”.

Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Bulgarian and Macedonian politicians have become more pragmatic. They took away bilateral relations from the hands of historians, media stars, and populists. While negotiating with Bulgaria, Macedonian Prime Minister Zaev demonstrated to the West that the policy of isolation is over and that the country is back on the road to NATO and the EU. Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov won domestic and foreign policy brownie points. First put on the agenda by the Bulgarian party CEDB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria), the treaty is a real success. We should also acknowledge the praise that Sofia received not only from Brussels, but also from influential member states such as Germany, where foreign minister Zigmar Gabriel patted Bulgarians and Macedonians on the shoulder.
The beginning of the beginning
But this treaty is only the first step. The road to “good neighbour relations” between Bulgaria and Macedonia is rocky.
In Skopje opposition VMRO-DPMNE party called Zoran Zaev’s SDSM to withdraw itself from the treaty with Sofia. “There should be treaty with Bulgaria, but one where the rights and obligations of both sides will be evenly distributed, and which will respect the national and state interests of the Republic of Macedonia. The government still has time to withdraw from the treaty, which would be the least it can do as a sign of respect to the Macedonian people. In Bulgaria the signing of the treaty is celebrated, while in Macedonia there is dissatisfaction and sense of defeat”, said VMRO-DPMNE in a press release.*
Earlier in July, the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party were also against the signing of the agreement with Skopje.
“Mr. Borisov must give up the signing of the treaty with Macedonia. This agreement is anti-Bulgarian and goes against Bulgarian national interests”,  said the Socialist MP and Deputy Speaker Valery Zhablyanov. After a series of heated debates in parliament between GERB and BSP politicians, the two parties accepted a joint declaration of the parliament on the treaty between Bulgaria and Macedonia and the parliament obliged the government to report annually on its implementation.*
Also, in future we will see how Russia will accept this treaty.  As I said in my previous articles, Moscow sees its positions in the Balkans as heavily endangered.  At the very least, Macedonia’s step towards the EU and NATO is an unwelcome development for the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
*Translation provided by the author.
The crossed flag pin featured in this article is available, along with many others here.


1 Δεκ 2017 -  
At an informal meeting in Sofia with secretaries of state and secretaries general of the EU member states Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has presented the priorities of the upcoming Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU. Minister Zaharieva has quoted the motto of this country and ...


.
In a recent interview, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has made a turn of 180 degrees regarding the recognition of the so-called “Macedonian” language.
Zacharieva stated that “there is not a dispute with former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia about the issue of “Macedonian language”, and stressed in particular that “the linguistic formula of the Agreement expected to be signed between the two countries strictly follows the 1999 Joint Declaration”.
Unsurprisingly, this position generated an immediate reaction of academics and historians in Sofia, with the academic Georgi Markov stating that “the 1999 Declaration mentioned by Mrs Zacharieva does not refer to any “Macedonian” language and that the Declaration was signed “in the languages recognised by the Constitution”.
The Director of the National Historical Museum of Sofia and history Professor Mr Bozidar Dimitrov, also opposed to Ms Zacharieva’s statements and stated that “The language is not recognised by the governments but by the linguistic institutes”. Mr Dimitrov had also recently stressed in an interview for FYROM’s Zveta newspaper that the so-called “Macedonian” language originates from the Bulgarian “Bardaric” dialect.

Dual language and mediating role

It is surprising, however, that the statements of the Bulgarian Prime Minister Mr Borisov, do not show a shared opinion on the matter. During the recent visit of FYROM’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to Sofia, Mr Borisov avoided mentioning the phrase “Macedonian language”, even though he was asked to, respecting in this way Bulgaria’s known and timeless attitude towards FYROM on the language matter.
Besides, Bulgaria may have been the first to recognise the “Republic of Macedonia” in 1999, but has never recognised the “Macedonian language” or the “Macedonian Nation”, because both are considered elements of its historical “heritage”.
Alternatively, while Sofia states that it wants good relations with Greece, in view of the good neighbourly agreement with FYROM, it does not seem to show a “European solidarity” spirit towards Athens, since it does not hesitate to give assurances to FYROM that it will help its accession to NATO and the EU. “We will give a positive example to the Balkans, but we will also pave the way of “Macedonia” to NATO and the EU”, Mr Borisov said in the presence of his FYROM counterpart Zoran Zaev, revealing in this way Sofia’s ambitions and the role it wishes to play in the Region at this point in time.
As it is known, Greece’s position is that the “nomenclature” issue must be resolved first and then should any procedures for EU and NATO membership begin. Furthermore, NATO’s leadership states that nothing has changed in the decisions of the 2008 Organization’s Summit when Athens’ position was adopted.
However, the Friendship and Co-operation Agreement between Sofia and FYROM is expected to be signed in mid-August, while its luck will most likely depend on the so-called difficult “details”. To be exact it will depend on the linguistic issue, the historical symbols, the common celebrations, the school books, and the cultural heritage. These are all the main issues that usually cause recklessness and national elation on both sides.