Larisa 3 November 2010
Ref. No.:21
Letter to the Council of Europe
To: -The Honorable Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland
Cc: – The Honorable President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe, Mr Mevlüt Cavusloĝlu
– The Honorable Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg
– The Honorable Committee of Permanent Representatives of the of Council of Europe
– The Honorable President of the Council of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mr Keith Whitmore
– The Honorable Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Council of Europe
– His Excellency the President of the Hellenic Republic
– His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic
– His Excellency the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament
– His Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic
– The Honorable Representatives and Deputy Representatives of the Hellenic Parliament to the Council of Europe
Ladies / Gentlemen / MPs – Members of the Council of Europe
Following the 16th of November 2009 (Ref. No 44) Letter of the Panhellenic Federation of Vlach Cultural Associations to the Council of Europe and on the occasion of the recent activities of the self-styled “Council of Aromanians», we would like to express once again our undisputable condemnation on behalf of the entire Vlach speaking population of Greece, rallied and represented in secondary and collective level by the institution of the Panhellenic Federation of Vlach Cultural Associations, against any external attempt aiming at the recognition of the Aromanians (Vlachs) as an independent and distinct ethnic group, cut off from the historic roots of Hellenism, of which as a matter of fact it constitutes an integral part throughout the ages.
At this point it is appropriate to clarify some key points:
A. The «Council of Aromanians’’ claim to monopolize the representation of all Aromanians on international level, starting with their recent failure to obtain the status of participatory organization within the Council of Europe, of course without having the slightest legitimacy or mandate. Which electoral process led to the emergence of the self-styled ‘Council of Aromanians»? When and who was informed of their actions, goals and aspirations? When was the Panhellenic Federation of Vlach Cultural Associations invited to participate in these processes?
B. The up to now moves and motives of those handful, outlandish and self-appointed protectors and defenders of the rights of the Greek Vlachs have conspicuously ignored the existence of the Panhellenic Federation of Vlach Cultural Associations as well as any possible reaction on behalf of the Greek Vlachs, given the fact that Greece is the birthplace and the historic and timeless metropolitan center for all the Vlach-speaking Hellenism gathering up to this day the greatest presence of the overwhelming majority of the Vlach-speaking element. The secret activities of this group unveil their real motives as well.
C. The commitment of the Panhellenic Federation of Vlach Cultural Associations on the preservation of the Aromanian (Vlach) linguistic heritage and the authentic and genuine cultural identity of the Vlach-speaking Hellenism, calls for a radical reaction of the Panhellenic Federation and its more than 100 members, vis à vis any effort of manipulation and extra-determination of the identity of the Vlach-speaking Hellenism as attempted by the introduction of the newly born term “Makedonaromanian” from the» Council of Aromanians or Makedonaromanians», as they call themselves. The aforementioned goals to undermine the right to selfdetermination of the Greek Vlachs and the entire Vlach community with arbitrary historical concepts and groundless as well as unrealistic epithets are collectively rejected and condemned.
D. On Sunday, August 15th 2010, in Moschopolis – Korce, Albania, the self proclaimed “Council of Aromanians» sought to mobilize a number of people of Vlach origin from all the countries where the Vlach-speaking diaspora is found, fraudulently seeking to ensure its “democratic legitimacy” without of course outlining in advance its real aims and aspirations. Thus, the vast majority of those who were present in that event, that in no case exceeded 1,500 people contrary to what falsely is reffered to the Newsletter of the «Council of Aromanians» stating that over 10,000 people joined the festivity (revealing video confirming the aforesaid is attached to the present), attended the event thinking that they participated in a typical folk reunion of cultural and traditional music content. Besides, no one except for the few perpetrators of this staged performance, knew from the begining that a typical music and dance Vlach reunion could ex post facto be called a «great assembly» in order to form a false basis of legitimacy for a handful group of people.
In this context, very revealing is the confutable response/reaction of the Cultural Association of Vlachs of Veria, Greece (see attached), a delegation of which attended the festivity considering that they had originally been invited to a typical music and dance Vlach reunion similar to the dozen ones held every year in areas where the Vlach-speaking element is located.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that most of the participants who visited Moschopolis come from the historic Aromanian (Vlach) diaspora across the Balkans. They basically visited the site in the framework of a pure touristic and historical interest, since Moschopolis was one of the most important and historic birtplaces of the Hellenic Enlightment in the 18th century, until its first destruction in 1769 by the Ottomans because of its energetic involvement in the great Greek revolution that took place in the period 1769-1771, creating in connection with its enormous intellectual range within all Greeks and the entire Vlach-speaking Hellenism, a living legend to this day.
E. We should also emphasize on the practices of the “Council of Aromanians” related to the adoption of the alleged “declaration” of 15th August «by all the participants” to the abovementioned festivity”, bringing in mind the most “unforgettable” and worst propaganda methods in the recent european history. In reality and to have a full picture of the facts, in that afternoon and after the participants had already left the area of the festivities, by the noon of that day, once the usual greetings to such an event and the rudimentary musical and dancing performances had taken place, the organizers all alone «adopted» behind closed doors the so-called “declaration”, in apparent contrast to what is said by those handful people about a unanimous adoption of the “declaration” by over than 10.000 participants. Moreover, it is worth noting the absence of relevant audiovisual evidence confirming the claims of the «Council of Aromanians» regarding the adoption of the “declaration” by acclamation. It is also important that the vast majority of the participants are still unaware of this “declaration”.
Ladies / Gentlemen / MPs – Members of the Council of Europe
Having full confidence in the frankness of your judgement, we are absolutely convinced that you will not allow some individual and irrational voices to affect the collective identity and national consciousness of hundreds of thousands of Greek citizens. It is obvious that the handful group of the self-proclaimed «Council of Aromanians» expresses only its few members and in no way the Vlach-speaking Hellenism and the Vlach community across the globe. The Panhellenic Federation of Vlach Cultural Associations is in absolute disagreement towards the founding principles, the goals, the aspirations and the policies of the self-styled “Council of Aromanians» which neither democratic legitimacy nor of course real geographical representation disposes.
On the occasion of this letter, we would like to reiterate our previous invitation in order for you to visit our country, offering us the pleasure to accompany you to our picturesque ancestral villages and present you in the most tangible way our traditions and our cultural patrimony. We are confident that you will handle the issue once again with due care, fully understanding the concerns we express, showing at the same time due respect for our obvious and natural right to self-determination as Greeks of Vlach (Aromanian) origin.
We always remain at your disposal for any further information and communication.
Sincerely Yours,
For the Panhellenic Federation of Vlach Cultural Associations
The President The Secretary
Michalis Mageirias Nitsiakou Angeliki
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