For the first time in more than a decade, the Macedonian Patriotic Organization in the United States and Canada - MPO, has restored its tradition of passing resolutions at its annual conventions. During the 103rd MPO Congress this weekend, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, two separate resolutions were passed - on the European integration of North Macedonia and on basic human rights in the region of Macedonia, a BGNES reporter reports.
Also for the first time in decades, the MPO elected a Bulgarian-born emigrant as a member of its Central Committee. This is Krasimir Kostov, who is the president of the local MPO club in Chicago - "Pirin". During the congress it was decided to create an IGO club in Las Vegas under the name "Ilinden", with Bulgarian Svetla Snowden as president. Another interesting element was the organized presentation and discussion about the life and work of the former leader of IMRO - Todor Alexandrov, which coincided with the centenary of the death of the great Bulgarian revolutionary in 1924.
The Consul General in Chicago, Svetoslav Stankov, attended the MPO Congress as an official representative of Bulgaria.
The MPO addressed important issues related to the European future of North Macedonia and its bilateral relations with Bulgaria. The MPO is to set up a committee to assist the two governments in ironing out outstanding issues between them. The organization has returned to its tradition of adopting policy documents in the form of resolutions that reflect the views of emigrants in the United States and Canada on what is happening in RS Macedonia.
In the resolution in support of North Macedonia's integration into the European Union, the MPO stated that the Government, the political opposition, and the public in North Macedonia should unite in support of amending its constitution to recognize the Macedonian Bulgarians as a constituent people of the Republic, along with other groups, and thus continue negotiations to join the European Union. The Governments of Bulgaria and North Macedonia should quickly improve bilateral relations based on mutual respect and continue their strategic dialogue, which started with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighbourly Relations on 2 August 2017, and work on the implementation of the decisions listed in the minutes of the meetings of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission held in 2019 and 2022.
In a separate resolution, the MPO found that the historical authenticity of the Macedonian-Bulgarian identity is not officially recognized in North Macedonia due to a continued policy of systematic distortion of the history of the Macedonian Bulgarians and their heritage, cultural property, monuments, tombstones, icons and other historical artifacts. This has led to increasing manifestations of Bulgarian phobia and growing violations of the human rights of the citizens of Northern Macedonia of Bulgarian origin, including physical attacks, hate speech, threats, denial of self-identification and related attacks. Some extremists in Bulgaria and North Macedonia are adding fuel to the fire of hostility and demonisation and are becoming more vocal and hate-filled with their undemocratic statements.
The resolution notes that the clubs and associations of Bulgarians in North Macedonia were retroactively closed by the government with the unfounded claim that their names - including that of Ivan Mihailov, former leader of VMRO and chief defender of an independent Macedonian state - are associated with intolerance, hatred and "fascist" or "Nazi" ideology. This led to their closure and exposure to vandalism and media attacks. At the same time, associations of ethnic Macedonians in the Republic of Bulgaria have been denied registration, despite rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) that Bulgaria cannot justify the denial of registration on national security grounds. In both cases, these actions violate freedom of association.
The protection of human rights, including the freedom of association of all persons, regardless of their national, ethnic, religious or other identity, is at the heart of modern democratic societies.
North Macedonia must immediately and officially include Bulgarians in its constitution, which lists other ethnic groups, but excludes Bulgarians. The inclusion of Macedonian Bulgarians in the constitution of North Macedonia is an internal human rights issue and should not be the subject or result of any international negotiations or demands. It is in the interest of North Macedonia to immediately recognise the fundamental human rights of any self-identifying ethnic group of its citizens, including Bulgarians, by acknowledging the current and historical reality and guaranteeing their human rights in the constitution.
North Macedonia must actively work for inclusive national reconciliation of all Macedonians, regardless of their ethnic origin, by getting rid of negative and exclusionary Macedonian nationalism based on a Yugoslav Macedonian historical narrative that continues to generate systemic Bulgarianophobia. In this process, North Macedonia must recognize Macedonian Bulgarians as Macedonians proud of their Bulgarian roots who deserve the same basic rights as all other Macedonians, without having to deny the ethnic roots of their ancestors. Like the founders of the MPO (Macedonian Bulgarians) and the tens of thousands of Macedonian Americans and Canadians, they should be recognized as patriotic Macedonians, proud of their Macedonian-Bulgarian heritage, who made significant historical contributions to the struggle for an independent Macedonian state.
Both Bulgaria and North Macedonia should continue to work hard to build peaceful and positive relations with each other. The governments of both countries should fully and swiftly implement with good will the content and spirit of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighbourliness signed on 2 August 2017, including the 2019 and 2022 Protocols of the meetings of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission.
Both countries should work to mitigate negative nationalism coming from nationalist extremists. They must recognize the right to self-identification of all people living in their countries today. They must also recognise and respect without reservation and without change the self-identification of the people who have historically lived in the geographical region of Macedonia and have left written evidence of their self-determination.
Both sides must ensure respect for freedom of association, as set out in the core international human rights treaties, and work to create a more positive and supportive environment in which any ethnic group, regardless of size, can self-identify without fear.
The MPO remains steadfast in its century-long commitment to support the development of North Macedonia as a fully inclusive state for all its citizens and its accession to the European Union, an act that will peacefully and definitively unite all people in the region of Macedonia who have been divided for more than a century.
The MPO remains steadfast in its century-long commitment to support the development of North Macedonia as a fully inclusive state for all its citizens. Its accession to the EU is an act that will unite peacefully and definitively all the people of the region of Macedonia, who have been divided for more than a century. I BGNES
