FYROM diaspora launches Aus funding campaign

The Australian arm of the Washington based lobby group, the United Macedonian Diaspora* (UMD) has launched a campaign to lobby the Australian government to unilaterally recognise the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) as 'Macedonia'.

The UMD is a US nationalist lobby group which has advocated territorial claims against the Greek province of Macedonia and receives funding from the Turkish Coalition of America.

Although the UMD has long seen recognition of FYROM as 'Macedonia' by the Australian and other governments as its primary goal, the organisation is using the advent of the new year as a focal point for a fund-raising campaign that will provide resources to lobby Australian parliamentarians.

In November, UMD Australia launched its NSW 'operations', at which Labor Federal MP Stephen Jones, described the UMD as playing "a positive and constructive role in shaping national, parliamentary and policy debates on the need to build closer relations between Australia and (sic) 'Macedonia'."

Mr Ian Pelekanakis, treasurer of the Australian Macedonian Advisory Council (AMAC) says that Australia's Greek community needed to be vigilant. "In this case, we are seeing a recently spawned Australian arm of a Washington-based lobby group attempt to influence Australian government policy, and that is significant."

Mr Pelekanakis added that any change in the Australian government's position away from the UN's agreed position - a naming solution to be agreed between FYROM and Greece - would be unacceptable.

"It would amount to our government's complicity in a denial of the rights of over 200,000 Australians hailing from the Greek province of Macedonia. It would also be a significant blow to the ongoing UN-brokered name negotiations between Greece and FYROM."

The AMAC spokesman said that whilst the UMD had the right to express its views, "the fact the UMD is an ultra-nationalist, Washington-based lobby group which receives funding from the Turkish Coalition of America (presumably because the TCA considers supporting organisations with interests contrary to those of Greece furthers the geo-political interests of Turkey) - this is something which should be brought to the attention of the Greek community and decision-makers in Australia.

*This is the formal name under which the above entities are registered in Australia. Neos Kosmos does not endorse the use of the term Macedonian.