Thanou: “There is no Macedonian Minority no Macedonian language"
Honorary President of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Greece: 'Annulment of the decision on the recognition of the Macedonian Language Center is a national issue'
Vasiliki Thanu, Honorary President of the Supreme Court of Appeals, said that the recognition decision of the "Greek Macedonian Language Center" established in Florina, where the Macedonian minority is densely populated, should be cancelled. Thanu argued that the annulment of the recognition decision of the association is a national issue.
Vasiliki Thanu, who also served as the prime minister in the election government, claimed in her article on the subject that it was not right to establish an association with this name in a nationally sensitive region like Florina. Thanu also argued that the establishment and charter of the association violate the Prespa Agreement signed between Greece and North Macedonia.
Reminding that the Prespa Agreement caused a significant difference of opinion among the Greek society at the time it was signed, Thanu pointed out that these differences of opinion were especially caused by the concepts of "Macedonian" and "Macedonian Language".
Thanu claimed that the Florina Civil Court of First Instance's approval of the "Macedonian Language Center" was wrong, and that it also violated some articles of the Prespa Agreement.
According to the articles in the statute of the association in question, some of its purposes are; Reminding that the Macedonian language is protected and developed in Greece, and that Macedonian is taught in educational institutions, the Honorary President of the Supreme Court argued that these articles violate the Prespa Agreement.
“NO MACEDONIAN MINORITY, NO MACEDONIAN LANGUAGE”
Stating that "minority language" and "ethnic Macedonian minority" are mentioned in the charter of the association, Vasiliki Thanu claimed that there is no such minority and language in Greece and that these are tried to be created by the statute of the association. Thanu claimed that human rights violations and hate speech against Macedonians were cited by the Greek authorities, but these did not reflect the truth.
Stating that even the most well-intentioned people can understand that the purpose of the association is to make provocative propaganda, and that it contains hostile and racist statements against the Greeks, Thanu said, "For this reason, it is completely opposite to the articles of the Prespa Agreement."
“THE ASSOCIATION THREATS NATIONAL INTERESTS, PUBLIC ORDER, SOCIAL PEACE”
Thanu, Honorary President of the Supreme Court of Appeals, claimed that the "Macedonian Language Center" established in Florina is also against the general rules and conditions regarding the establishment of the association. Thanu put forward the thesis that the association in question threatens national interests, public order, social peace and security and causes divisiveness among citizens. Thanu also reminded that the establishment of the association received reactions from some political parties, Greek associations and the press.
Thanu stated that the name "Macedonia" instead of "North Macedonia" is used in many places and by many institutions, contrary to the provisions of the Prespa Agreement in the neighboring country of North Macedonia, and that the Greek government unilaterally cancels the Prespa Agreement if these violations continue.
Reminding that Greek courts had rejected requests for the establishment of similar associations in the past, Thanu stated that it was a matter of curiosity that the court in Florina, one of the most sensitive regions of Greece, approved the decision to establish such an association.
Vasiliki Thanu indirectly guided the annulment of the court decision recognizing the “Greek Macedonian Language Centre”.
Thanu wrote in her article, “In conclusion, the decision of the Florina Court recognizing the association in question was wrong in law and in substance. Any Greek citizen, whether individually as a Greek citizen or as a member of an institution, has the right to object to this, considering that social peace and stability in the north-west region of Greece are at stake, at a time when national interests are at stake and there is worrying tension in the east of our country. ” used the phrases.
Thanou concluded her article bay saying: “It is one thing to cultivate good neighborliness; it is another thing to endure the provocative intentions of neighbors, submit to them and satisfy their non-existent rights,”
