More than 320 Greek writers, artists, academics, politicians and other self-proclaimed “leftist, democratic, progressive citizens” have come forward in support of the agreement between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Their support comes in the form of a written statement, co-signed by the 320 intellectuals (while signatures are still being added to that list), which hails the Prespes Agreement between Greece and FYROM as “historic” and “an honest agreement that ensures a future … of peace, solidarity and shared development.”
Among those putting their names to the document are the writers Vasilis Vasilikos and Rea Galanaki-Kouvela; university professors Thalia Dragona, Yiannis Drosos, Costas Zoras and Alexis Iraklidis; actors Dimitris Katalifos, Stefanos Lineos and Giorgos Kimoulis; the National Opera’s artistic director Giorgos Koumentakis; journalists Vasilis Lyritzis, Vasilis Paikos, Panagiotis Panagiotou and Christos Machairas; and composer Notis Mavroudis.
The full document reads:
“The historic Prespes Agreement of 17th June 2018 ends a major outstanding issue of 25 years and more in our region. It is an honest agreement that ensures a future for the two countries and of our Balkan neighbourhood of peace, solidarity and shared development.
“The compound name with a geographical qualifier (North Macedonia) erga omnes and with a revision of the constitution fully meets standing Greek positions and actually secures them even further, while it actively proves the neighbouring country’s will for the peaceful coexistence of the two peoples.
“It dispels the “grey zone” created by the longstanding unsettled issue of a ‘former state’ and clearly lays out, with an international stamp, the boundaries – political, historic and cultural – between Greek Macedonia and ‘North Macedonia’. It is the only way to wipe out irredentism in the Balkans, once and for all.
“Also respected is the neighbouring country’s dignity and its right to self-identification. The confirmation in the agreement of the language (as it has been recognised by our country for many decades) and the neighbouring country’s nationality actively proves Greece’s will to build a lasting future of friendship and peace with ‘North Macedonia’. Greece, a democratic, European country respects the decisions and fundamental principles of the United Nations.
“In these historic times, when Europe is seeing the rise of the far right, nationalism, chauvinism and racism, phenomena that have caused rivers of blood to flow in Europe and the Balkans; in these historic times when in our country, with this agreement, we effectively come face to face with the monster of fascism and all those that feed it, circles that express the darkest past, divide the Greek people and the political forces into national traitors and national saviours, a division that strikes at the foundations of democracy; at a time when dangerous revisionisms that presage a dark future are being conceived in the Balkans and our wider neighbourhood:
“We, the leftist, democratic, progressive citizens support the agreement because we are against nationalism and revisionisms, because we are for a European, Balkan neighbourhood with peace and solidarity, because the Agreement transcends nationalist and religious tensions. We are in favour of the dignity of peoples. We support the Agreement because we consider this to be our patriotic, internationalist and democratic duty.”