---

MHRMI and AMHRC reiterate demand that Macedonia end name negotiations

---

Toronto, Canada and Melbourne, Australia
(8 September, 2011)

On the occasion of the Republic of Macedonia's 20th anniversary of its independence, Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) and the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) reiterate our demand that Macedonia immediately cease negotiations over its name.

---

It is a disgrace that Macedonia, by participating in the negotations, is violating its own most basic human right, that of self-identification. It is reprehensible that the Western world, despite having recognised Macedonia, is insisting that Macedonia change its name.

MHRMI and AMHRC initiated the Our Name is Macedonia campaign in July 2010, an ad campaign which demands an end to the negotiations, and which has gained overwhelming support from Macedonians in the Republic of Macedonia and throughout the world.

As stated in the Our Name is Macedonia campaign, "We are winning. Over 130 countries have recognised Macedonia, including four of the five permanent UN Security Council members. We have the power to end this. Stop negotiating our own name".

MHRMI and AMHRC demand that Macedonia vehemently defend our name and immediately end the name negotiations. Furthermore, we demand:

• an end to the "temporary reference" of "FYROM" or "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"
• that Macedonia revert to the original flag
• that Macedonia withdraws from the 1995 Interim Accord

Our organisations also:

• condemn every Macedonian government for capitulating to Greek racism and to the United States and Western Europe and continuing the name negotiations
• condemn the US government and Western European governments for threatening to withdraw "support" for Macedonia and demanding that it changes its name

Finally, MHRMI and AMHRC call on every Macedonian organisation and individual to sign on to the Our Name is Macedonia campaign.

 

www.mhrmi.org/our_name_is_macedonia
 

---

---

---