To say that the agreement between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), that sees the latter changing its constitutional name from ‘Macedonia’ to ‘North Macedonia’ did not go down well, would be an understatement.
Ever since the agreement was signed, reactions in both countries have been fierce. In Greece, people are outraged, insisting that any name that includes the word ‘Macedonia’ is not acceptable, since this is a name of historical important to Greece. In FYROM, people insist that this is the only name the people have known and identified with, for more than a century.
Ever since the agreement was signed, protest rallies in both countries have been held, often culminating in violent clashes with the police. Flareguns have been shot, firebombs have been thrown, flags have been burnt, people have been injured.
Reports of hooligans infiltrating rallies and instigating violence have been surfacing in both countries. Now a theory has emerged, linking these incidents – and these hooligans – to Russia, funding these rallies with the aid of wealthy sympathisers of the Vladimir Putin administration.
Historical debate on the ‘name issue’ has been looming for a quarter of a century, and the recent clashes have reopened even older wounds, dating back to the post-WWII civil war in Greece (and the participation of ‘Macedonian’ fighters), to the Macedonian struggle, or even to the Ottoman Empire era.
Historical debate aside, this deal is the outcome of bilateral compromise, as are most diplomatic resolutions.
It is a deal that aims to allow FYROM to enter the EU and NATO – i.e. the European and American sphere of influence. It is easy to understand why Russia would not be pleased with this turn of events. It is in Russia’s interests to keep FYROM out of NATO – which would make it probably stay closer to Moscow, if not Ankara.
Does this mean that all these people protesting are just pawns in Russia’s geopolitical chessboard?
No. Nobody seriously questions the patriotism of those opposing the deal. In both countries, people participating in protest rallies do so out of love for their country and respective history. Yes, nationalists have taken advantage and been louder, but they are not the majority.
Still, if the claims made by the governments of Greece and FYROM are true, this means that there are wolves among the sheep – and we’re not talking about Golden Dawn Nazis and the ultranationalists in each country. There are wolves with deep pockets, funding ‘the cause’, paying for the protesters’ transport, covering the rallies’ expenses – or even for media making noise.
These claims should be seriously investigated. Athens and Skopje need to prove these claims.
The Greek PM has to answer the questions raised by the opposition. And patriots themselves should campaign for transparency, if they don’t want to be smudged. It should be easy to find out the truth. Just follow the money.