Macedonian Name Issue – Response to the guest column by Argie Bellio (December 29)

in Articles, E-mails from readers, FYROM Propaganda, Macedonian news / by D-Mak / on January 1, 2011 at 2:12 pm /

The following letter is in response to the guest column by Argie Bellio (December 29).

December 31 ,2010

The following letter is in response to the guest column by Argie Bellio (December 29). In terms of strategic significance, that of Greece outweighs that of the insignificant and pathetic regime in Skopje. Greece is a front line state in the war on terror that borders Turkey, a country that is now an ally of Iran and which threatens American interests. Add to this, the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus that is overwhelmingly Greek, and which helped to evacuate 15,000 American citizens from the fighting in Lebanon back in 2006. Both Greece and Cyprus enjoy excellent relations with the State of Israel as well as Arab countries, thus making Greece a significant player for promoting peace and stability in the region.

Greece’s historic achievements are very well known to those who have a grasp on historical reality. Greece struck one of the earliest blows against the Axis powers when it crushed Mussolini’s armies in 1940 when the latter invaded. Mr. Bellio, obviously an individual of limited historical knowledge dares to take shots at the Greek Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church of Greece is well respected and admired for its heroic defense of the Greek Jewish community during the Holocaust. Four Bishops at least have been recognized as “righteous among the nations” by the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and over 650 Greek priests were arrested by the Gestapo during the Nazi occupation for their acts of heroism.

Mr. Bellio makes no mention of Skopje’s claims against Greece in his column, and one might ask why that is? The government that Mr. Bellio is defending in his column has claimed the Greek province of Macedonia as part of its own territory, has claimed ancient Macedonian symbols as its own, and has sought to deny Greece’s Macedonian heritage which is affirmed by serious scholars and all those who are not part of the lunatic fringe movement in Skopje. Why does Mr. Bellio, in light of the forum that he has been given in the News Sentinel not repeat the various historical falsifications of history and territorial claims on Greece that Skopje has made?

There is very good reason why American and NATO officials have sided with Greece. Having observed the dispute up front and at the diplomatic level they have seen the evidence that Greek officials have presented.
At the 2008 NATO summit which Mr. Bellio mentions, France and Spain supported Greece while “understanding” for Greece’s position was expressed by Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, Iceland, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Netherlands. These are the facts and the realities, which like history cannot be manipulated for deceptive propagandistic purposes, try as Mr. Bellio and Skopje might.

Theodoros Karakostas
HEC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Source: HellenicNews.com