The academicians, corresponding members of the Academy, the professors,
associated professors, the scientific researchers and the wide public meet,
with a feeling of deep satisfaction, the annonced in the medias, expression
of readiness by the democratic governments of both countries readiness
to resume the negotiations, preceding the signing of the international
documents. It is precisely the victory of the democratic forces in
Republic of Macedonia that opened the route for clearing all the obstacles,
artificially created for more than half a century by the Serbo-communist
authorities and their succesors in the relations of the young republic
with all its neighbours. The policy of "equidistance" towards all
neighbours is replaced by the new government of Republic of Macedonia with
a policy of mutual approach, which is in harmony with the European norms
of behaviour. MSI estimates highly the consistent efforts of the
Bulgarian government, which by its numerous and serious propositions for
a definite, and not temporary, solution of the arguements between the two
countries, creates athmosphere for meetings with the government of Republic
of Macedonia. It is beyond any doubt, that the victory of the democratic
systems, on both sides of the border, is the only possible basis of a reasonable
dialogue between the two countries.
The disappearance of the markedly anti-Bulgarian course as constant
state policy, especially that of the government of Branko Tsarvenkovski,
is worth of admiration not only in R. Bulgaria but in R. Macedonia as well.
Following a profound analysis of the socio-political situation in both countries, the MSI pays serious attention to several negative factors, that could consciously or unconsciously stop or delay for a definite period of time the forthcoming negotiations. It is unthinkable to consider, that the negotiations could fail completely because of language problems, as it is precisely the language closeness being more basis for coming together than for separation between the citizens of the two countries.
MSI sees eventual difficulties in near future in two directions, i.e. inside R. Macedonia as well as in R. Bulgaria:
a) In the Republic of Macedonia, the arrogant behaviour of the former administrators, having lost power as result of the elections and now members of a new irreconcilable opposition, creates certain worries. Editors and authors such as P. Kolemishevski, T. Ivanovski, M. Velinovska, N. Dokovska, V. Evtov, M. Tomovski, I. Pavlovski and many others in their old and new editions, resurrect bancrupt theses, that during the negotiations no compromise is to be made. According to them, it should be insisted that there is a Macedonian minority in Pirin, that Bulgaria is obliged to register OMO Ilinden (inspite the fact that this minority group has been created by the Yugoslavian Embassy in Sofia and is supported with money from abroad). Again, according to them, the localisation of the Macedonian nation and the Macedonian language reaches eastward the heart of the Rhodopes Mountain. In short, the old, absurd Pan-Serbian pretences are voiced, with the help of which the diplomatic meetings between the two countries have been prevented.
The editors of the newly established opposition newspapers and journals in the Republic of Macedonia, are not interested in the bulgarian national consciousness of the threehundred thousands population of the Pirin region, nor of the existing bulgarian national feeling of more than two millions of refugees or their descendents from the Vardar and Aegian Macedonia, living in different parts of Bulgaria. The only aim of the former administrators, and it being induced by the constantly fighting Belgrade, is to maintain unsettled relations between the Balkan countries.
Every attempt to support the idea of a Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, - no matter the origin of the statement, - actually the fact being, that the ethnical roots of the macedonians in the Republic of Macedonia are bulgarian (see Dame Gruev and the hundreds of others in the region of Macedonia), is not only illogical, but is doomed to failure from the beginning. It will not withstand the burden of the thousands of facts, found in the hundreds of volumes of documents of our and foreign scholars.
b) In R. Bulgaria, worrying are the incompetent statements of some public figures, politologists from different newly created centers, as well as "experts", who constantly infringe on the Bulgarian public the old Comintern ideas, "newly" draped. Schooled in the political ideology of the Third International, which had brainwashed not only many european and respectively balkan brains, but had also infected the minds of some americans, our home-bred politologists replace the old phraseology with new, without changing the essence. Easily they wipe out the Bulgarian history, linguistics and ethnology - the whole bulgarian science and culture. Without having any special competence in the Macedonian problems, they write "concepts", organise press-conferences and etc., ready to make deals with present territories and population of the Republic of Bulgaria. They speak abstractly about Macedonia, forgetting that Pirin Macedonia is a Bulgarian political reality i.e. part of the Bulgarian State. The self-made specialists do not make difference between basic notions of the type that :
a) Macedonia as a name of a geographical region on the territories of three states and
b) Republic of Macedonia, which they write without the R (Republic), is only a third of the above-mentioned region. However the difference between Macedonia as geographical entity and R. Macedonia is substantial.
Persons, announcing themselves as politologists, do not have even basic
knowledge of the politology litterature on the subject, which is published
in our country, in R. Macedonia, Europe and America, thus their conclusions
are inexact and in the long run - false.
In the radio, television and the press irresponsibly, notions of historical,
linguistic and ethnological character (language, nationality, nation) are
mixed up with basic terms of the international law (state, international
relations). Thus absurd requests of "acceptance" are formulated, for things
that do not necessitate acceptance anywhere in the world. Ex- statesmen
incompetently change their opinions, in short periods of time, complicating
further the problems.
This, of course, creates difficulties for both governments, in their
preparations for the negotiations.
The "all-competent" home-made politologists, with the aid of the percentages
have already created humoresque "deadline ultimatums" of NATO and the EC
concerning the language dispute. It is an honour for the Bulgarian
government, that in this chaos of contradictory and mutually excluding
each other opinions, it succeds in the thoughtful and careful search for
opportunities for a definite solution of the problems. The fact,
that the democratic government of R. Macedonia joins these efforts, also
is a source of optimism. In this situation, the MSI - Sofia supports
the positive attempts of the two governments in the search for balanced
and dignified solutions in the negotiations, guaranteeing the sincere friendly
neighbouhood of our countries.
January 21st, 1999
The Macedonian Scientific Institute - Sofia.