D. AVRAMOPOULOS: First of all I would really like to thank my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Professor Vangelis Livieratos, for inviting me to introduce his book this evening, together with Pasok President Evangelos Venizelos, who I guess will be closing out this event. And of course I want to express my thanks to Professors Yannis Hasiotis and Evanthi Hatzivasiliou.
Evangelos Livieratos and Chrysoula Paliadeli – an academic and MEP who contributed to this book – are, as you know, two distinguished scientists in their fields, and they are currently in politics.
That they crossed the bridge from academia to politics, particularly in these very difficult times, points to their having – in addition to their academic training – both courage and an awareness of their social mission.
They do not limit their contribution to the university classroom, but have heard the call of our times and, in parallel with their scientific work, are contributing to politics and the national objective that we are all serving right now: for our country to regain its orientation, for our institutions to regain their stature, for society to regain its optimism and cohesion, and for young people to once again see the horizon of their prospects opening up before them.
And for our democracy to be strengthened.
On this road that we are all being called to walk together, joining our forces and forming a strong united front against the major threats created by the crisis – threats to society and to our homeland.
And what is bringing us closer together today is a shared perception of our national interest and our resulting duty to transcend narrow political divisions and come together to defend and save our country.
To make Greece’s voice a respected one in Europe and the world once more, to take a stance again with initiatives and stature in our geopolitical environment, and to act on the global stage with ideas, people, our economy and our policy.
Because what we are living through in these times does not honor us – it embitters us.
All of us in the government aspire to build this new Greece. And in this effort, we do not have the luxury of dividing lines, conflict, division.
This book is a response to that need.
It is a book that deals with – as I said earlier – an issue that is important and familiar to all of us; not just those of us involved in our country’s diplomacy and foreign policy, but those of us involved in politics in general.
The issue of the geographical boundaries of Macedonia seen through European cartography through the ages.
It is an issue as fascinating as it is timely, because through the maps, the reader travels the history of this geographical region, which was named the Kingdom of Macedonia in the 7th century BC, was renamed over the centuries, was settled by a number of peoples and conquerors up until the present day, maintaining its Greek character throughout all this time.
Nearly all of the foremost political geographers at the beginning of this century turned to the Balkans, as if enchanted by the Peninsula of Haemus. This is understandable.
From a cultural standpoint, the peoples of the Balkans were the closest to the residents of central and western Europe. But in terms of their political and territorial organization, they were still reminiscent of structures of the East.
The Balkan peninsula was seen as a limited model of Mitteleuropa, and there was an effort to present the Greeks as a people in diaspora, whereas everyone knew that the Greek presence in the region went back thousands of years, with historical evidence still present, having stood the test of time.
European public opinion was not at all indifferent to the fate of the Christians of the Balkans, and no one could ignore the national views of the residents of the Balkans.
As early as 1870 – in tandem with other expressions of national antagonism, a real geographical or, more accurately, cartographical war broke out. In this “war of maps” the politicians of the newly established states of the Balkans tried to disorient and impact western European geographers.
So the Greeks were the first in our region to defend themselves with historically documented positions in the “War of Maps”.
Our national historian Konstantinos Paparigopoulos was the one who promoted a map based on sovereign national trends more than on fixed data.
The Macedonian borders of the Great Bulgaria of San Stefano (1878) followed the ethnographical boundaries of this first map by Kiepart. The Treaty of Berlin (13 July 1878) which revised that of San Stefano, recognized Macedonia in the Ottoman Empire, putting the resolution of the Macedonian issue off to a later time.
As such, it became apparent that the fate of this region was linked with its ethnographical dimension as shaped by the works of the geographers and cartographers.
So as you can understand, this is a fascinating and timely issue that the author and his collaborators are presenting to us today in its full proportions.
The journey via these maps leads to the historical truth, leaving no room for doubts or groundless claims.
This book came into my hands purely by chance a day before the meeting we had here in Athens with the negotiator on the Skopje issue, Ambassador Nimetz.
Although I hadn’t conferred with Mr. Livieratos, it was a useful tool. Mr. Nimetz was provided with a copy, and I am sure that, upon his return to the U.S., he used this book to further enrich his already extensive knowledge of the issue.
My Dear Friends,
It is obvious that historical and geographical knowledge is a vital tool in approaching foreign policy issues with pragmatism, equanimity and clear-sightedness.
The case of the issue of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – which unfortunately remains unresolved, a victim of the extreme nationalism that continues to dominate the region – is a prime example.
And I mention this because of late – and despite the fact that one would expect things to have evolved differently – we have seen, with great concern, a escalation in populism and nationalism in our wider region. And this, as you know, has now started to worry the European Union and the United States of America and all those who have been monitoring developments throughout these years in this sensitive region of our planet.
And of course, nationalism is one thing, and historical truth is another. Because historical truth is supported and documented with data, proof, and – as the book shows – historical names.
All of us who do battle daily on the international chess board for our national issues want to have scientific tools and studies like this at our disposal. And today, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I would like to publicly express the state’s gratitude to all of you for your contribution and assistance. Because that is what it is, and that is how we see it.
We have an historical duty to our land and to future generations, not just to overcome the economic crisis and stand on our feet as an economy, as a society, but also to stand tall internationally, as a nation.
To defend our national interests with prudence and dignity. To make our country’s voice respected in the European Union and the eurozone. To make our presence felt in the world again.
I said it and I will repeat it: when our major national issues are at stake, there is nothing that divides us.
And I am certain that the study and understanding of Greek history aids in this – with all the fallout that has accompanied the incorrect choices and divisive conduct of the past.
It is vital that we achieve the highest possible degree of understanding on our national issues so that we can get the best possible results.
And this consensus is being realized tonight through this book, here in this hall.
Here where everyone – author Evangelos Livieratos and contributor Chrysoula Paliadeli, as well as those of us who have the pleasure of introducing it, including me and, shortly, Pasok President Vangelis Venizelos, and all of you who are with us – irrespective of political allegiances or ideologies, shares scientific interest in or political duty regarding a major national issue.
But certainly, all together, we share the strong message conveyed by the maps presented in this work.
And once again I thank Mr. Livieratos and Ms. Paliadeli for this book that is so wonderful and useful for our self-knowledge, as well as for our foreign friends’ deeper perception and understanding of Macedonia, its history, its development and, Why not?, its future.
Thank you very much.
February 6, 2013