"The numbers in the 1991 census as well as all statistics in this region of the world are contested by various sides. Albanians claim that the census underestimates the size of the Albanian population (allegedly 700.000), FYROM nationalists (claim 300.000) and the Greeks claim 250,000. The issue of*greek minority within FYROM is related to the presence of an unspecified number of Vlachs within the new state. Greek sources consider them Greeks (historically the majority of Vlachs in the southern Balkans have identified themselves as Greeks)".-

Makis Triantafillopoulos host of the show “JUNGLE” took on free hand support to the Greek language help schools in Monastery and Pripep. For the first time publicly on Greek television, with the proper seriousness, the existence of Greek originated citizens in F.Y.R.O.M. was set (21/02/20008). www.northmacedonians.com was informed by the colleagues of the show that the offer of love from the Greeks within and abroad Greece was extremely emotional for the economical, material and technical support of the Greek language help schools.

In my view, the delineation of*greek minority Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) is integrally linked to the sense of identity of generations of descendants of Hellenic Vlachs (Kutzovlachs and Arvanitovlachs) of Pelagonia (and beyond) whose ancestors were members of the Genos and the Greek national body in the inclusive spirit of Romiosyne.
The fact remains that the preponderance of Vlachs in the dawn of the 20th century were the mainvehicle of the Greek dimension in many parts of Macedonia (Pelagonia and Gevgheli regions included).
Historically, a combination of untoward circumstances traceable to the interwar years (as a consequence of the Venizelos-Maiorescu agreement pursuant to the terms of the Bucharest Treaty) *compounded by 50 years of communism* kept the predominantly (but not exclusively) Grecovlach communities of Pelagonia in sheer isolation.
I think that a fresh approach to the question of Greek minority in Pelagonia-Gevgheli regions of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is well overdue. In my view, the Greek minority in that country cannot be adequately defined under present conditions.
This isbecause of two (but not mutually exclusive) reasons : The first relates to inherent aspects of coercion, marginalization and fear of persecution by the authorities. The second has to do with deeply entrenched feelings of rejection, alienation and mistrust for the Greek state as a result of nearly a century old neglect and isolation.
Greece's oblivious stance nowadays is best exemplified by the paucity of student scholarships granted to Vlach youths from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as compared to the generous packages offered by the Romanian government through a network of educational attaches. The Vlach community in Struga is a case in point. Ditto for the activism of representatives of the Freiburg and Paris-based "Independent Arumanian" movement ( [www.geocities.com] ) and that of the US-based Society Farsarotul (to their credit) [www.farsarotul.org] Similarly, many "Slavophone" Greek Macedonians (a.k.a. Grecomans or Grkmani) who have historically, suffered injustices and ill-treatment by the Greek state, continue to feel (quite justifiably) a sense of alienation and neglect by the Metropolis.
On the rebound, some have chosen to join the Makedonski minority party in Florina or diaspora nationalist organizations. Yet, most retain their unambiguous Hellenic identity. Many of these expatriates may be encountered in factions of either the Greek or Makedonski diasporas of North America and Australia.
Many Grkmani have experienced at some point rejection either by militant Makedonci or by ignorant and mean-spirited fellow Greeks (including clergy and church board members). It is possible that there exists to this day a hitherto undefinable (in terms ofnumbers or demographic distribution) constituency of disenfranchised Vlach and Slavonic-speaking Macedonians with dormant Hellenic identity residing in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or abroad who feel betrayed by the Greek State and Hellenism at-large.
In a nutshell, the question of*greek minority in Republika MACEDONIA-IS-GREECE-DO-NOT-RAPEHISTORY-Skopje is a formidable one and isconfounded by issues of political expediency and realpolitik. Looking at the big picture, the question of*greek minority in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia may be after all, nothing less than a political "hot potato". In fact, the whole thing maybe viewed as a political liability for the Hellenic Republic -- especially in the face of a well-organized campaign for the recognition of a Makedonski minority in Greece and the lingering issue of "Aegean Macedonians" actively seeking resettlement in Greece's NW Macedonian prefectures.
With this in mind, one should be wary of exaggerated figures or cavalier claims regarding "hundreds of thousands" of Greeks in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Such claims are not tenable. At the same time, one should keep an open mind regarding the ctual numbers. But at the end, even if the Greek minority turns out to be comprised of "small estiges" of Hellenic Vlachs, the honorable and righteous thing to do is to offer them recognition and after due diligence grant them (dual) Greek itizenship, educational scholarships, vocational sponsorships and health care benefits.
As a respected scholar and authority on Macedonian affairs told me not long ago: "The fact that after fourteen years since the independence of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia no sizeable Greek minority has made its appearance in that country does not mean that the Greek state and private initiative should not show an active interest in its survival and the protection of its human rights."

Testimony from expatriate Nikos Konstantinidis from Resna of FYROM about the situation of the Greek community in the province of Pelagonia in the southern part of the country. How the Greeks of FYROM. are treated by the government there and from the official Greek government, which does not recognize them as Greeks. Firstly I am Nikos Konstantinidis. I was born in Monastiri and I live Resna city of province Pelagonias , that is located in the plateau of Big Prespas.
= With origin with roots …
With final origin of my ancestors. I am from Moschopoli Korytsas of North Ipiros, where they remained until the 2/9/1769 therefore afterwards the persecution under the weight of Ali Pasa Tepenlis, the Greek-vlachs moved to the plains of Pelagonia.
= When did you begin to realise that you are Greek, that you have Greek roots?
When I was about 15-16 years old, I realised that the names of my family, differ from the remainder slabofono environment of region of Skopje ...
= And …
I asked why we have such names… because our grandfathers had other names and surnames…
= Your surname had changed ?
Yes. On status of our dictator Tito they had changed the surname. Then they named us “Michailofski”. And from the knowledge that I had from my genealogical tree, I discovered that the older greek archetype of my surname is Konstantinidis and I changed it.
= You changed it with legally? Through the courts of FYROM ?
Yes…
= This story, what results did it have… which adventures did you have with the government of FYROM ?
They gave me the right to receive my Greek surname, but began prosecutions, blackmails, and psychological war. Particularly afterwards 1996, that I took an interview for the subject of the church of Skopje, that it will be recognized, on behalf of the Oecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was the first interview of Oecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomeu to the mass media of Skopje, this was the reason then, for them to make factitious official charge against me and put me in jail for a month.
= You had declared henceforth that you are Greek and had asked the right of selfdefinition?
Yes …
= They allowed you to this ?
In the papers yes. Due however to my action in favour of the Greek minority of province Pelagonias, that in her majority is constituted from Ellinoblachoys. As I had stated ten years ago, former president of FYROM Kiro Gkligorof, the Greeks we are more than 300.000. From this number, the 186.000 are greek vlachs.For us it is the “war” that is taking place in the wider region of peninsula of Aimoy. In Skopje the Rumanian propaganda is very big. Against us… who will achieve the ellinoblachoys. = Does interest from Greece exist ?
Interest exists, but unfortunately up to today, a genuine institution that would express the Greeks of Pelagonias does not exist, in order to deal with the subjects that concern them.
= What is needed for an institution, that will coordinate ?
Yes. A governmental organisation that will represent the Greeks of FYROM and will regulate their subjects.
= It is believed that Greece doesn't deal with the Greeks of FYROM, so that it doesn't open a new wound with Skopje ?
The subject is complicated. It begins from the old days from the season of notorious Greek Yugoslavian friendship. The topic is how do we Greeks act. If the Hellenism of FYROM is not helped, I am afraid that we will even reach in the dismemberment of Greece.
= Skopians however claim minority of thousands in western (greek) Macedonia.
No. They do not have neither cultural identity, neither conscience of the “slavo-macedonian” nation. If you look at their surnames, it appears who are Bulgarians, who are Serbs, who are Greeks. Unity does not exist. In this wider area, in frontier near Greece, remnants exist that have Bulgarian conscience, that occasionally play head or tails that they are Citizens of the ancient Yougoslavian Republic of Macedonia or are financed by the ministry of foreign affairs of Turkey and make propaganda on behalf of Turkey.= What do you ask from Greece? If you had the chance to speak with the Prime Minister or with the minister of foreign affairs what would you say to them ?
I would say to them the following. The offer to Greece, the Greek education of the greek-vlachs… they should see that the National Bank of Greece, is an institution that was founded in 1843 under Georgio Stavros that was a greek -vlach and partaker was baron Simonas Sinas from Moschopoli, whos s fatherf was a leader of caravans, remained two years in[Resna, afterwards went to Tirnovo of Pelagonia, afterwards went to the mother country of Big Konstantinos Nis and led finally to Vienna.
= So…
This is the offer of the Greek vlachs. They call us vlachs and Aromans. Aromans means “armatomenos”, he who keeps the gun. Greece should wake up, so we do not reach with so much trespasses of human rights of the Greeks of Pelagonias who become, we should also have self-defence, as the Albanians in 2001, so that they can survive in their fathers hearths. Of course this will be the final solution.
=In your region how many are you ?
In the wider area of Pelagonias, we are over 100.000 Greek orthodox. The thing is that they do not allow us to use the Greek churches of our ancestors, they are kept by the separatist priests of Skopje.
= Some movement so that the problem of Greeks of Pelagonias will be published ?I ask from each responsible Greek official, to protect my family, and me because we are in the foresight of secret services of Skopje. Because also my ancestors were four Macedonian fighters and I am a holder of the book of descendant of the Macedonian fighters, that was given to me ten years ago by the association of Macedonian fighters of Thessalonica. I am a clean Greek, Greek orthodox in the religion; I respect also the Hellenic church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We want the “Greek Community of Monastiri Pelagonias area, to be formed in order to protect our cultural heritage.

The first Greek school of Monastiri was founded on 1830 from N. Varnavas. This school initially consisted of 8 grades, 5 of primary school and 3 of Greek. The first graduates were teachers in other educational institutions in the mid 19th c. like in the central Primary school, in 2nd Primary school in the quarter of Meshar Mahala and in the 3rd Primary school in Arnaut Mahala.In 1851 came into operation the private school of the known geographer/historian Margarites Dimitsas, having 80 students. Some of the teachers were Anastasion Piheon, Serafeim Matlis and N Chalkiopoulos. In 1865 its operation stopped due to many other Greek schools in the area of Monastiri. During 1869, Monastiri had in total 7 Greek schools with 1080 students. 3 years later we had 1200 students.
In the greek primary schools of Monastiri, lessons were, linguistics, old and new Testament, Mathematics, Greek History, Patridognosia, Geography, Calligraphy. In gymnasium lessons includedancient Greek writers (Lysias, Xenofon, Lykourgos, Isocrates, Thukidides, Demosthenes, Homer, Herodotus, Plato and Sophocles, Old and new Testament, Latin writers, French, Turkish, Mathemaics, History (global), Philosophy, Physics, Botany, zoology, gymnastics.
In krusovo we have the first “allilodidaktiko” school founded in 1835, having as teachers Papias from Siatista and chistors Papaioannou from Zagori of Epirus. From 1860, it is founded a gymnasium in Krusovo and during 1865 there are 4 Greek schools with 655 students. In Megarovo it is founded in 1800 a Greek school having as teacher Oikonomos Papadimitriou. During 1845 it is founded another school due to the efforts of N. Nicocles from kozae and in 1860 a girl’s school having as first teacher Katerina Venizelou. In 1873, the educational-loving fraternity ”Elpis” founded Megarovo’s infant school with 100 infants. Same happened to the rest of towns of Pelagonia like Tyrnovo, Gopesi, Milovista, Nizopolis and Resna.
“The cultural identity of Greeks in Pelagonia (1912-1930)” By Nikolaos Anast. Vasileiadis

This is a long overdue call for recognition of the neglected and underrepresented Greek minority in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
FYROM does not recognize the existence of*greek minority in the region of Pelagonia, claiming only the existence of a vestigeal Vlach-speaking minority. In this regard, Skopje plays an old (19th century) card of political manipulation, exploiting historical communal divisions between the pro-Roumanian and pro-Greek Vlachs. This failure to recognize a (predominantly Vlach) Greek minority comes from a State, which embraces an overt irredentist attitude at various levels and which continues to foster "an environment of values that considers the "Aegean Part of Macedonia under Greece" -that is, Greek Macedonia- to be still "unredeemed"..." (See relevant commentary by Dr. Evangelos Kofos, = published in the 25-6-03 issue of Vima).The pitiable part in the whole affair is the indifference (akhdia) of the Greek State for the Vlach and Sarakatsan Greeks of Pelagonia.The Vlachs who along with the other Greeks, evolved through millet -i- Rum to shape Modern Greek identity, are indigenous inhabitants of Macedonia (including the Pelagonia region) who strived for the preservation of Greek culture and education during the long Ottoman years and the Balkan wars.Despite having been subjected to unrelenting Roumanian propaganda since the last quarter of the 19th century, and also having suffered unprecedented slaying and ruin in the hands of Bulgarian 'komitadjis' in the early part of the 20th century, the Vlachs stood steadfastly by the Greek side. As loyal Patriarchists and members of Rum millet and Romiosyne, they financed schools, churches, and infirmaries and kept the Greek spirit in Macedonia alive. "The churches and schools of the town of Monastir in the mid- 19th century were in Greek hands (Kriste Pitoski. "The Activities of the Bishopric of Pelagonia 1878-1912" Skopje 1968, pp. 35-43). According to the memorandum submitted to the Roumanian government in 1901 by Lecanda Lazarescu, head of propaganda, "In villages where the population consists entirely of Vlachs, the Greek schools are packed with pupils while the Romanian schools stand empty. The Vlachs contribute to the running of the Greek schools and, when they die, leave their fortunes to the cause of disseminating Greek education" ("Periodikon Ellhnismos" (Hellenism) 1907, pp. 585, 586).The ubiquitous Vlach Greeks (true citizens of the world in their own right) were also the quintessential defenders of Greek Macedonia inasmuch as the philanthropists and builders of the Modern Greek nation. "The evidence is there, from the impressive neoclassical buildings in Athens to the schools in the Macedonian market towns; from the first prime minister of Greece, Ioannis Kolettis, and the illustrious national benefactors to the forever unsung heroes from the Vlach villages who were slain during the Macedonian Struggle and the Axis Occupation." (Preface by Konstantinos Stefanopoulos, President of the Hellenic =Republic. In: A. Koukoudis Studies on the Vlachs. 2nd Vol. (Greek edition)- The Vlachs: Metropolis and Diaspora_, Zitros Publications: Thessaloniki, 2000).Looking back to the turn of the 20th century, the cities of Monastir (Bitola), Krushevo, Megarovo, Tirnovo, were areas in which Vlachic Hellenism had once flourished. Ultimately, the fate of Monastir (and its predominantly Vlach Greek population) was determined by the Bucharest Treaty (1913), pursuant to which Greece had to abandon any territorial claims in this regard. At the same time, the terms of the Treaty conceded to the Romanian mandate for the recognition of the Kutzovlachs as an 'ethnolinguistically' distinct Roumanian minority with semi-autonomous educational and ecclesiastical privileges in Greece.Writes Tilemachos Katsougiannis regarding these two terms of the Bucharest Treaty."We believe that both of these sacrifices were due a fundamental lack of awareness on the part of the mainland [Helladic] Greeks as to the underlying importance of the Kutzovlachs, their ancestry, and their role in the shaping of Modern Greek history. Indeed, such naivete had an adverse effect on the fundamental understanding of the Kutzovlach affair, as well as on related epistemological and diplomatic approaches, which collectively, contributed to the underestimation of the real issues by the Greek side." (T. Katsougiannhs. Peri twn Blaxwn twn Ellhnikwn xwrwn. Tomos B. Ek tou biou kai ths istorias twn Koutsoblaxwn epi Tourkokratias, 8essalonikh. E8nikh Biblio8hkh. Dhmosieumata Makedonikwn Spoudwn. 1966, sel. 77]).In the final analysis, the Vlach Greeks of Monastir and Pelagonia assumed the role of Iphigenia under the terms of the Bucharest Treaty. For all intents and purposes, those who were left behind subsequently faded away in the river of oblivion. Notwithstanding the waves of immigration from Monastir, Tyrnovo, Krushevo and other ancestral Vlach towns and villages to the Metropolis and to the New World, including the United States, one truly wonders what was the fate of Greeks who were left behind...(?) Certainly, for many of us, this piece of the puzzle has not lapsed from consciousness...I submit that the very least that Greece can do nowadays for the descendants of these uncelebrated Armeni of the Genos is to grant them immediately the proper official recognition status and provide them with resources, services, and material support, similar to the Vlach Greeks of Albania.In closing, an invaluable resource of modern historiography on Macedonia, Monastir and Vlach Greeks is the compilation of published works by Georgios Modis.-- * Orehovo and Bukovo Slavic speaking [villages] with a Greek spirit unmatched by many Greek speaking villages" Excerpt from the article entitled "Monastir of Giorgos Modis" by M. Theodosopoulou [part of the dedication titled "Monastir or Vitola", which was published in the December 16, 2001 "Sunday issue" of Kathimerini ("Seven Days" series)].