Macedonian Community Action & Awareness

RESOLUTION

Of the Macedonian Community of Victoria’s “Macedonia! Macedonian! Forever!” March to Parliament

WHEREAS, Macedonia and its Macedonian people were forcibly divided amongst Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania in 1912-1913;

WHEREAS, Macedonia’s division marked the beginning of a century long campaign by Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria to eradicate the Macedonian people and identity;

WHEREAS, Greece and Bulgaria to this day deny the existence of a distinct ethnic Macedonian identity both within and outside their modern political borders; and

WHEREAS, Greece denies the Republic of Macedonia its fundamental and inalienable right to exist and be known by its historical and constitutional name.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Macedonian Community of Victoria and Australia,

Proclaims the undeniable fact that the Republic of Macedonia, the Macedonian people and ethnic Macedonian identity exist and gathers before the Parliament of Victoria as testament to the existence of the ethnic Macedonian identity in Australia;

Affirms the fundamental and inalienable right of ethnic Macedonians to their identity and the fundamental and inalienable right of the Republic of Macedonia to its historical and constitutional name under customary international law;

Rejects and strongly condemns all attempts by Greece and Bulgaria and any other person, body or state to deny, limit or qualify our Macedonian identity and Macedonian name in any way whatsoever;

Demands that the Australian Government immediately withdraw its derogatory and discriminatory directive of 1994 which re-named the Macedonian identity as “Slav-Macedonian” and apologise to its ethnic Macedonian citizens for the pain and insult caused by this directive;

Calls upon the Australian Government to follow the example of the United States of America, China, Russia, Canada and 120 other countries and recognise the Republic of Macedonia by its historical and constitutional name in accordance with its obligations under customary international law;

Strongly condemns the United Nations for imposing upon the Republic of Macedonia the absurd provisional name “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” in blatant violation of Article 4 of the United Nations Charter, and demands that the United Nations rectify this illegality by immediately resolving to refer to the Republic of Macedonia from hereon solely by its historical and constitutional name;

Calls upon the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to immediately discontinue all negotiations with Greece regarding its name and warns the Republic of Macedonia, Greece and the International Community that ethnic Macedonians worldwide are united in their resolve to defend their ethnic Macedonian identity and accept no other name but “Macedonia” for their State;

Demands that Greece and Bulgaria immediately end their century long campaign of genocide against the ethnic Macedonian identity and State and appeals to Australia and the International Community to pressure Greece and Bulgaria to recognise and afford the ethnic Macedonians of Greece and Bulgaria their guaranteed human rights and fundamental freedoms under customary international law;

Strongly condemns NATO for withholding its invitation to the Republic of Macedonia to join NATO until such time that Greece’s issue with its name is resolved. As the Republic of Macedonia fulfills all admission requirements to NATO and Greece’s denial of the Republic of Macedonia to its historical and constitutional name is in violation of customary international law, we demand that NATO immediately issue its invitation to the Republic of Macedonia for admission to NATO under its historical and constitutional name; and

Calls upon the European Union not to repeat the legal and ethical errors of the United Nations and NATO before it, and to negotiate with the Republic of Macedonia its admission to the European Union under its historical and constitutional name and in strict compliance with the European Union admission requirements.

Dated this 24^th day of May 2008

Must see! Macedonian programs on Channel 31, see protest video section for more information.

RESOLUTION