It may be controversial, but LOMA asks Turkey to promise to veto Macedonia's entrance into NATO if Macedonia changes its name. It's a long shot, but it would both put NATO policy to a test and make a mockery out of this entire name dispute (of course, as well as potentially keep the name from changing).
Dear Ambassador Serdar Kilic,
The League of Macedonian-Americans (LOMA) has an urgent request of the Turkish government.
We sincerely appreciate Turkey's support of Macedonia and President Erdogan's recent comments in defense of the Macedonian name and identity. We thank you for your friendship. We wish that the current Macedonian leadership would defend the Macedonian name and identity to the same extent that you have promised to protect Macedonia, its name and its identity.
So, we need your help. If Macedonia is forced to change its constitutional name in order to join NATO, then we ask that Turkey vetoes (or promises to veto) Macedonia's accession into NATO. This would be a bold move on behalf of Turkey and would not be an easy decision; but there are several benefits to promising to veto Macedonia's membership in such a circumstance:
1. It will force Macedonian leadership to reconsider abandoning their name and identity;
2. It will hamper Greece's efforts to eradicate the Macedonian name and identity from existence;
3. It will demonstrate that NATO's veto policy contradicts its open door policy;
4. It will show the world that Greece's veto is irrational, childish and dangerous;
5. It may pressure NATO into forcing Greece to drop its veto; and
6. It will prove that NATO's veto policy allows one nation to violate another sovereign nation's right to self-determination.
The Macedonian people and nation are in a tight corner. For decades, we Macedonians have been forced by Greece to merely survive. Macedonia and her people have missed out on much economic and social progress thanks to Greece's hindrance. We Macedonians have been belittled, disrespected and maltreated. Macedonia needs a friend.
Jane Sandanski, the famous Macedonian rebel who believed in a Macedonia for the Macedonians, eventually sided with Turkey because he realized that despite 500 years of Ottoman rule, an alliance with Turkey was the only way to safeguard and preserve the Macedonian nation and identity. Aligning with Turkey was a better option than being thrown into the hands of neighbors like Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. While Macedonia and Turkey have put the past behind them, it seems as if Greece is dwelling in its past in order to justify its chauvinistic and irredentist aspirations.
Let us strengthen this Macedonian-Turkish friendship for the sake of preserving the Macedonian name and identity; let us stand together to defeat ultra-Greek nationalism so that both of our peoples can be free to be who they are without fear and intimidation.
We thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Victor Sinadinoski,
LOMA Co-founder
The League of Macedonian-Americans (LOMA) has an urgent request of the Turkish government.
We sincerely appreciate Turkey's support of Macedonia and President Erdogan's recent comments in defense of the Macedonian name and identity. We thank you for your friendship. We wish that the current Macedonian leadership would defend the Macedonian name and identity to the same extent that you have promised to protect Macedonia, its name and its identity.
So, we need your help. If Macedonia is forced to change its constitutional name in order to join NATO, then we ask that Turkey vetoes (or promises to veto) Macedonia's accession into NATO. This would be a bold move on behalf of Turkey and would not be an easy decision; but there are several benefits to promising to veto Macedonia's membership in such a circumstance:
1. It will force Macedonian leadership to reconsider abandoning their name and identity;
2. It will hamper Greece's efforts to eradicate the Macedonian name and identity from existence;
3. It will demonstrate that NATO's veto policy contradicts its open door policy;
4. It will show the world that Greece's veto is irrational, childish and dangerous;
5. It may pressure NATO into forcing Greece to drop its veto; and
6. It will prove that NATO's veto policy allows one nation to violate another sovereign nation's right to self-determination.
The Macedonian people and nation are in a tight corner. For decades, we Macedonians have been forced by Greece to merely survive. Macedonia and her people have missed out on much economic and social progress thanks to Greece's hindrance. We Macedonians have been belittled, disrespected and maltreated. Macedonia needs a friend.
Jane Sandanski, the famous Macedonian rebel who believed in a Macedonia for the Macedonians, eventually sided with Turkey because he realized that despite 500 years of Ottoman rule, an alliance with Turkey was the only way to safeguard and preserve the Macedonian nation and identity. Aligning with Turkey was a better option than being thrown into the hands of neighbors like Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. While Macedonia and Turkey have put the past behind them, it seems as if Greece is dwelling in its past in order to justify its chauvinistic and irredentist aspirations.
Let us strengthen this Macedonian-Turkish friendship for the sake of preserving the Macedonian name and identity; let us stand together to defeat ultra-Greek nationalism so that both of our peoples can be free to be who they are without fear and intimidation.
We thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Victor Sinadinoski,
LOMA Co-founder
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