Testimony from expatriate Nikos Konstantinidis from Resna of FYROM about the situation of the Greek community in the province of Pelagonia in the southern part of the country.
How the Greeks of FYROM. are treated by the government there and from the official Greek government, which does not recognize them as Greeks.
Firstly I am Nikos Konstantinidis. I was born in Monastiri and I live Resna city of province Pelagonias , that is located in the plateau of Big Prespas.
= With origin with roots …
With final origin of my ancestors. I am from Moschopoli Korytsas of North Ipiros, where they remained until the 2/9/1769 therefore afterwards the persecution under the weight of Ali Pasa Tepenlis, the Greek-vlachs moved to the plains of Pelagonia.
= When did you begin to realise that you are Greek, that you have Greek roots?
When I was about 15-16 years old, I realised that the names of my family, differ from the remainder slabofono environment of region of Skopje ...
= And …
I asked why we have such names… because our grandfathers had other names and surnames…
= Your surname had changed ?
Yes. On status of our dictator Tito they had changed the surname. Then they named us “Michailofski”. And from the knowledge that I had from my genealogical tree, I discovered that the older greek archetype of my surname is Konstantinidis and I changed it.
= You changed it with legally? Through the courts of FYROM ?
Yes…
= This story, what results did it have… which adventures did you have with the government of FYROM ?
They gave me the right to receive my Greek surname, but began prosecutions, blackmails, and psychological war. Particularly afterwards 1996, that I took an interview for the subject of the church of Skopje, that it will be recognized, on behalf of the Oecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was the first interview of Oecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomeu to the mass media of Skopje, this was the reason then, for them to make factitious official charge against me and put me in jail for a month.
= You had declared henceforth that you are Greek and had asked the right of selfdefinition?
Yes …
= They allowed you to this ?
In the papers yes. Due however to my action in favour of the Greek minority of province Pelagonias, that in her majority is constituted from Ellinoblachoys. As I had stated ten years ago, former president of FYROM Kiro Gkligorof, the Greeks we are more than 200.000. From this number, the 186.000 are greek vlachs.
= With origin with roots …
With final origin of my ancestors. I am from Moschopoli Korytsas of North Ipiros, where they remained until the 2/9/1769 therefore afterwards the persecution under the weight of Ali Pasa Tepenlis, the Greek-vlachs moved to the plains of Pelagonia.
= When did you begin to realise that you are Greek, that you have Greek roots?
When I was about 15-16 years old, I realised that the names of my family, differ from the remainder slabofono environment of region of Skopje ...
= And …
I asked why we have such names… because our grandfathers had other names and surnames…
= Your surname had changed ?
Yes. On status of our dictator Tito they had changed the surname. Then they named us “Michailofski”. And from the knowledge that I had from my genealogical tree, I discovered that the older greek archetype of my surname is Konstantinidis and I changed it.
= You changed it with legally? Through the courts of FYROM ?
Yes…
= This story, what results did it have… which adventures did you have with the government of FYROM ?
They gave me the right to receive my Greek surname, but began prosecutions, blackmails, and psychological war. Particularly afterwards 1996, that I took an interview for the subject of the church of Skopje, that it will be recognized, on behalf of the Oecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was the first interview of Oecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomeu to the mass media of Skopje, this was the reason then, for them to make factitious official charge against me and put me in jail for a month.
= You had declared henceforth that you are Greek and had asked the right of selfdefinition?
Yes …
= They allowed you to this ?
In the papers yes. Due however to my action in favour of the Greek minority of province Pelagonias, that in her majority is constituted from Ellinoblachoys. As I had stated ten years ago, former president of FYROM Kiro Gkligorof, the Greeks we are more than 200.000. From this number, the 186.000 are greek vlachs.
For us it is the “war” that is taking place in the wider region of peninsula of Aimoy. In Skopje the Rumanian propaganda is very big. Against us… who will achieve the ellinoblachoys.
= Does interest from Greece exist ?
Interest exists, but unfortunately up to today, a genuine institution that would express the Greeks of Pelagonias does not exist, in order to deal with the subjects that concern them.
= What is needed for an institution, that will coordinate ?
Yes. A governmental organisation that will represent the Greeks of FYROM and will regulate their subjects.
= It is believed that Greece doesn't deal with the Greeks of FYROM, so that it doesn't open a new wound with Skopje ?
The subject is complicated. It begins from the old days from the season of notorious Greek Yugoslavian friendship. The topic is how do we Greeks act. If the Hellenism of FYROM is not helped, I am afraid that we will even reach in the dismemberment of Greece.
= Skopians however claim minority of thousands in western (greek) Macedonia.
No. They do not have neither cultural identity, neither conscience of the “slavo-macedonian” nation. If you look at their surnames, it appears who are Bulgarians, who are Serbs, who are Greeks. Unity does not exist. In this wider area, in frontier near Greece, remnants exist that have Bulgarian conscience, that occasionally play head or tails that they are Citizens of the ancient Yougoslavian Republic of Macedonia or are financed by the ministry of foreign affairs of Turkey and make propaganda on behalf of Turkey.
Interest exists, but unfortunately up to today, a genuine institution that would express the Greeks of Pelagonias does not exist, in order to deal with the subjects that concern them.
= What is needed for an institution, that will coordinate ?
Yes. A governmental organisation that will represent the Greeks of FYROM and will regulate their subjects.
= It is believed that Greece doesn't deal with the Greeks of FYROM, so that it doesn't open a new wound with Skopje ?
The subject is complicated. It begins from the old days from the season of notorious Greek Yugoslavian friendship. The topic is how do we Greeks act. If the Hellenism of FYROM is not helped, I am afraid that we will even reach in the dismemberment of Greece.
= Skopians however claim minority of thousands in western (greek) Macedonia.
No. They do not have neither cultural identity, neither conscience of the “slavo-macedonian” nation. If you look at their surnames, it appears who are Bulgarians, who are Serbs, who are Greeks. Unity does not exist. In this wider area, in frontier near Greece, remnants exist that have Bulgarian conscience, that occasionally play head or tails that they are Citizens of the ancient Yougoslavian Republic of Macedonia or are financed by the ministry of foreign affairs of Turkey and make propaganda on behalf of Turkey.
= What do you ask from Greece? If you had the chance to speak with the Prime Minister or with the minister of foreign affairs what would you say to them ?
I would say to them the following. The offer to Greece, the Greek education of the greek-vlachs… they should see that the National Bank of Greece, is an institution that was founded in 1843 under Georgio Stavros that was a greek -vlach and partaker was baron Simonas Sinas from Moschopoli, whos s fatherf was a leader of caravans, remained two years in[Resna, afterwards went to Tirnovo of Pelagonia, afterwards went to the mother country of Big Konstantinos Nis and led finally to Vienna.
= So…
This is the offer of the Greek vlachs. They call us vlachs and Aromans. Aromans means “armatomenos”, he who keeps the gun. Greece should wake up, so we do not reach with so much trespasses of human rights of the Greeks of Pelagonias who become, we should also have self-defence, as the Albanians in 2001, so that they can survive in their fathers hearths. Of course this will be the final solution.
=In your region how many are you ?
In the wider area of Pelagonias, we are over 100.000 Greek orthodox. The thing is that they do not allow us to use the Greek churches of our ancestors, they are kept by the separatist priests of Skopje.
= Some movement so that the problem of Greeks of Pelagonias will be published ?
I would say to them the following. The offer to Greece, the Greek education of the greek-vlachs… they should see that the National Bank of Greece, is an institution that was founded in 1843 under Georgio Stavros that was a greek -vlach and partaker was baron Simonas Sinas from Moschopoli, whos s fatherf was a leader of caravans, remained two years in[Resna, afterwards went to Tirnovo of Pelagonia, afterwards went to the mother country of Big Konstantinos Nis and led finally to Vienna.
= So…
This is the offer of the Greek vlachs. They call us vlachs and Aromans. Aromans means “armatomenos”, he who keeps the gun. Greece should wake up, so we do not reach with so much trespasses of human rights of the Greeks of Pelagonias who become, we should also have self-defence, as the Albanians in 2001, so that they can survive in their fathers hearths. Of course this will be the final solution.
=In your region how many are you ?
In the wider area of Pelagonias, we are over 100.000 Greek orthodox. The thing is that they do not allow us to use the Greek churches of our ancestors, they are kept by the separatist priests of Skopje.
= Some movement so that the problem of Greeks of Pelagonias will be published ?
I ask from each responsible Greek official, to protect my family, and me because we are in the foresight of secret services of Skopje. Because also my ancestors were four Macedonian fighters and I am a holder of the book of descendant of the Macedonian fighters, that was given to me ten years ago by the association of Macedonian fighters of Thessalonica. I am a clean Greek, Greek orthodox in the religion; I respect also the Hellenic church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We want the “Greek Community of Monastiri Pelagonias area, to be formed in order to protect our cultural heritage.
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