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Chairman,
ladies and gentleman,
Does
a freedom of movement means that you have the right to visit your
relatives or your friends around the world? Does a freedom of movement
mean a freedom to visit the village or the city you were born or even
the place where your family members were born?
Unfortunately
this is not the case in Greece.
More
precisely the Greek Liaison Office in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
there is an application form, which must be filled out to obtain a
visa to travel in Greece.
There
is one application form for citizens of the Republic of Macedonia
.There is another one born in that country and a different one for
those citizens who were born in Greece and temporary live in Republic
of Macedonia as political refuges who left Greece during the civil war
from 1945 – 1949.
In
the application form in the Greek Liaison Office in Skopje Republic of
Macedonia there is among others details for a personal identification
a question point about citizenship.
But it should be mentioned that the application asks that one
declare their "nationality" which in essence can be
construed to mean "ethnicity."
If
in that part of the form one writes Macedonian, then he will never be
granted a visa to visit Greece. A Macedonian political refugee former
Greek citizen, (presently a citizen of Republic of Macedonia) must
declare their nationality as Greek to obtain a visa to visit his
family home in Greece.
Every
other question considering personal believes of a person as ethnic
identity proves the intention for discrimination because such a point
is not necessary for a personal identification.
Further
more it is en effort by the Greek government to stop the contacts and
the visits between ethnic Macedonians living in Greece and their
relatives temporary living in the Republic of Macedonia.
And
it is not just this application form which
is a great barrier for ethnic Macedonians to travel from the Republic
of Macedonia to Greece, but also the “famous” inadmissible list of
the Greek Ministry of Interior which is implemented against the ethnic
Macedonians.
Greece
is using in fact a black list placing ethnic Macedonians and so they
are not allowed to visit Greece.
Such
an incident happened a few months ago with Mr. Vasko Karadza a
political refuge temporary living in the Republic of Macedonia. Mr
karadza was born in 1923 in the village D’mbeni or Dendrohori in the
Kostur or Kastoria region in Northern Greece. He was forced to leave
Greece during the civil war in 1949. He tried to re-enter Greece and
was prohibited by the Greek authorities. The reason he was denied is
that his name appears on the “black list”. This is written in the
notification certificate for the refusal of entry, which was given to
him at the border station.
Another similar incident occurred with the editor and activist Slavko
Mangovski the son of a political refuge who was born in the Macedonian
village Smrdesh or Kristalopigi in North Greece.
Slavko
Mangovski is editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Makedonsko Sonce,
published in Skopje, and is also known for his defence of the rights
of Macedonian minorities in the Balkans. On 28 August 2000 he
attempted an entry at the border crossing of Negochani or Niki in
order to visit a festival in a Macedonian village. After the routine
computer check, he was advised to wait and after approximately 10
minutes was summoned to the office of what appeared to be the chief of
the police and given a Notification Certificate for the Refusal of
Entry specifying “other reasons” as ground for the refusal. In the
same time a crossed stamp was placed in his U.S. passport, apparently
in order to alert border authorities that he is effectively banned
from ever entering Greece.
Although
no reason was provided, it is believed that S. Mangovski (born in
Bitola, Republic of Macedonia) is on the list of “undesirable
persons” because of his outspoken criticism of Greek policy towards
ethnic Macedonians.
It is also improper for the authorities of Greece to stamp,
i.e. deface, another state’s document (here U.S. passport) which
makes the bearer of the latter possibly look suspect to third
countries’ border authorities, besides Greece and the U.S., when he
attempts to enter any other country.
Similar procedure are implementing at the border by the Greek
authorities to many Macedonians workers and members of the Macedonian
minority who are temporary living in other European and other
countries.
Mr. Chairman in closing I must say that in the Framework
Convection of the Council of Europe on National minorities and
particularly article 17 says among others that there is an obligation
for neighbouring countries to create presuppositions for free
communication movement among the population of the minorities of the
countries.
Don’t
you think a state policy of the Greek authorities as it was described
a few minutes ago is against the Framework Convection of the Council
of Europe on National minorities?
Thank you all for your attention
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