Risto: Macedonia’s struggles with Greece hit home
I am an American of Macedonian descent. My great-grandfather immigrated to Erie in the 1930s to work in and co-own Majestic Bakery.
I was born in Erie but I lived in Macedonia during my childhood in the 1980s while it was the republic of Yugoslavia. This experience, along with the traditions of my family, has imprinted the spirit of Macedonian culture into me. I am a local artist and attempt to incorporate Macedonian themes in my paintings.
It has been 20 years since the Republic of Macedonia peacefully declared independence on Sept. 8, 1991. During all of that time, the country has endured a propaganda war from Greece, including an objection to Macedonia's name.
Thankfully, more than 130 countries, including the United States, have ignored Greece and recognized Macedonia under its rightful and constitutional name. But Athens continues to undermine Macedonia's stability and economic development, in part by blocking Macedonia's membership in international organizations.
The Greek government has accused Macedonia of implied territorial claims over a Greek region with the same name.
Now imagine what a ridiculous scenario this would be. Macedonia, a tiny nation of 3 million, invades Greece, its largest trading partner, population 11 million, a NATO and European Union member-state, with a military more than 40 times in size.
The Macedonian government has agreed to a long list of hostile Greek demands related to this, everything from altering the Macedonian constitution to replacing the national flag. Greece also seeks to dictate not only Macedonia's name, but also the contents of its schoolbooks, and the kind of symbols it uses.
All of these gestures to maintain peace have been ignored, and they have only led to new demands by Greece. In 2008, Greece vetoed Macedonia's entry into NATO, and then in 2009, the European Union.
The root cause of the entire controversy, however, is domestic Greek politics. The Greek state regularly denies the existence of minorities, including the large, unrecognized Macedonian minority in northern Greece. My family is a part of that minority; it was forced out of northern Greece during the Balkan Wars.
Macedonia's only recourse is to appeal to some sense of justice in the international community, while peacefully pursuing its destiny as a sovereign state, including its right to self-determination, and the freedom to develop its culture, economy and security.
KRIS RISTO, a local artist, has exhibited in the Erie Art Museum and various other galleries in our area. His paintings often reflect his Balkan heritage and his assimilation into American life.
