Conservative Government Wrong in the
Macedonian Question
The decision of the government of Canada to recognize the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) by the name Macedonia has set off a storm of controversy. Anyone that has any knowledge of the background of this issue would have expected nothing less. The reaction of Greeks and Greek Canadian has ranged from shock to outrage.
What is particularly frustrating for many is the almost complete lack of discussion surrounding the Conservative government’s announcement. Much of the attention on the issue up until recently had focused on the private member’s bill introduced by Liberal MP Lui Temelkovski to recognize FYROM as Macedonia. There was no warning of the Conservative government’s move.
There are many reasons why Greeks and Greek Canadians oppose the Canadian government’s move. Greece objects to the use of the name Macedonia on the grounds that it views the name as concealing irredentist ambitions against the large northern Greek province of the same name. Greece’s objections have been founded on the attempts by FYROM authorities to establish a connection to ancient Macedon, Alexander the Great, the Star of Vergina, a symbol found in Greece, as well as the second-largest city in Greece, Thessaloniki. Further concerns exist regarding sections of FYROM’s 1991 constitution that referred to a regard for minorities living in Greece and Bulgaria.
In 1993, a United Nations resolution recognized the country’s name as FYROM, and a negotiation process was put into place so that FYROM and Greece could agree to a mutually agreed upon name. The negotiations have been on-going and to this day FYROM is the official name of the republic at the UN.
Given FYROM’s ambitions and Greece’s concerns, Canada’s unilateral move is especially concerning. The history of the Balkans has shown how complex and potentially explosive issues of culture, heritage, history, national identity and territorial claims are. The history of the Balkans has also shown the importance of resolving these issues peacefully through bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Canada’s actions may have emboldened FYROM’s initial position in its negotiations with Greece. On September 25, 2007, The President of the General Assembly, Mr. H.E. Dr. Srgjan Kerim, addressed FYROM President Branko Crenkovski three times as president of the “Republic of Macedonia”. The choice to make such statements points to a problematic pattern, whereby FYROM is choosing to ignore UN resolutions that pertain to it, despite the knowledge that tensions may increase as a result.
The Federal government’s move not only does nothing to promote the stability of the Balkans, it destabilizes it even further. It ignores the fact that Greece has consistently respected international law, including the various treaties respecting the states in the Balkans and the rights of its minorities. It even ignores the fact that Greece and FYROM have enjoyed relatively good relations in recent years, including commercial relations.
One wonders what is the Conservative government’s real agenda? It is clearly not to promote stability in the Balkans. Is our government naïve or do they have a reason for taking sides in the dispute?
No matter what the real motive, this is an issue that should be of concern to all Canadians. Canada has a proud history of balance in its foreign policy. Canada has a particularly notable commitment to multilateralism and international institutions such as the United Nations. Our Federal government should respect the sensitivity of the Macedonia issue and observe the internationally recognized name, FYROM, until a mutually agreed-upon permanent designation is found.
Niki Ashton is Canadian of Greek heritage. She is a sessional lecturer with the University College of the North and a PhD candidate at the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba. She is also the NDP Candidate for the Churchill Federal riding.
