22/02/2019
Despite illegitimate Macedonian “Prime Minister” Zoran Zaev's attempts to deceive the international community into believing that Macedonia has changed its name, since the head of state, President Gjorgi Ivanov, did not sign the illegal, imposed name change for the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonia has not changed its name. Article 75 of the Macedonian constitution stipulates that all laws be signed by the President.
Ivanov stated,"My position is final and I will not yield to any pressure, blackmail or threats. I will not support or sign such a damaging agreement."
He is referring to the Prespa Agreement, which renames Macedonia into “North Macedonia”, redefines the identity and ethnicity of the Macedonian people, even outside the borders of the Republic of Macedonia, mandates the rewriting of Macedonian history to appease Greek and Bulgarian anti-Macedonian policies, and which contains humiliating formulations for the way in which the Macedonian language and nationality are to be described which directly contradict established international law and practice.
Even the existence of the Prespa Agreement, much less its illegal passing, is unconstitutional as it was also never signed by President Ivanov, a step required by the Macedonian constitution.
Despite the continued illegalities of their actions, the US/EU-backed Zaev regime proceeded to violate Macedonian law by sidestepping the President and publishing the constitutional amendments mandating the name change in the Official Gazette, thus claiming that the name change has become law. This is akin to US Congress passing a bill, but bypassing the US President's signature and declaring it legal.
Simply put, if one illegally attempts to pass a law, it is not law. If one violates the constitution, parliamentary rules, criminal code, international law, human rights conventions, democratic principles, and the will of the people in their attempts to impose a law, it is not law. These are the basic principles of democracy and principles that every UN member-state claims to uphold. There is no excuse for any nation to allow the invalid, imposed name change for Macedonia to occur.
To further illustrate the Zaev regime's violations of Macedonian and international law, Zaev has: Ordered riot police to attack Macedonians who oppose the changing of their name and identity; imprisoned dissenting Macedonians; fired people from public and private-sector jobs; shut down media outlets; blocked social media access for those who oppose them; engaged in ballot-stuffing and mass voting irregularities; ignored the mass rejection by the Macedonian people of the referendum aimed at changing Macedonia's name; ordered government intimidation and investigation of those who are against his policies; imprisoned six opposition MPs – thus making it easier to illegally impose new laws; and, along with US Ambassador Jess Baily, held female opposition MPs in parliamentary chambers against their will, and blackmailed and threatened their family members with imprisonment unless they followed orders to vote in favour of the name change.
The international community must unite in support of democracy and the rule of law. Therefore, Macedonian Human Rights Movement International calls on all UN-member states to unequivocally call for the end to the forced implementation of the Prespa Agreement, and to proclaim that it does not support any change to Macedonia’s name in the UN.
Further, we request that a motion be introduced in the United Nations General Assembly demanding that UN principles and the rule of law be upheld (thus removing the additional, illegal conditions in violation of the UN Charter that were applied to Macedonia in 1993), and that the Republic of Macedonia be immediately admitted under its rightful name, thus permanently ending any attempts at changing it.
We also request that Russia and China, as members of the UN Security Council, to pledge that it will veto any change to Macedonia's name.
Additionally, we call on Turkey and any other NATO member-state interested in supporting democratic principles and international law to reject any change to Macedonia's name and to veto any membership for Macedonia in NATO under “North Macedonia” or any other name.
This is not a “diplomatic dispute” as the West quaintly puts it, but a concerted attempt to erase an old and proud people by denying them their most fundamental human rights; those which the countries of the EU and NATO which are attempting to impose this agreement on Macedonia, would not dream of denying to their own citizens. Democratic and progressive forces throughout the world cannot sit by idly and allow this to happen.
