Good morning to everyone. Thank you all for giving us the opportunity to participate here in the UN
institution as a member of the Macedonian minority in North Greece. We appreciate very much Ms
McDougall and Ms Graham Fox for the recent visit in North Greece. We believe this will be a positive
motivation to our government, the Greek State, to change the addituted, the stereotypes, the prejudices.
A positive policy with Macedonian minority and other minorities in North Greece generally speaking. I
will focus in this session, the education policy and the hope, the hope will be as Macedonians at least
recognised at the beginning as a linguistic minority. I will not mention discrimination policy,
non-recognition of cultural associations which is trying to implement and share the teaching of
Macedionan language in North Greece.
Unfortunately, the Greek state is rejecting the recognition after condeming of the ECtHR and I hope in
the second attempt today is the discression in the Supreme Court in Athens, we hope finally we will
have this opportunity to implement linguistic rights. From my own side, we believe it will be very useful
recommendation regarding census on linguistic diversity.
Why am I mentioning this issue? We have the experience, enough experience listening from
representatives from greek government that it is just a small group of people in North Greece not
speaking a language and idiom and similar argumentation regarding the official policy. We know very
well that 90 almost years ago was a census the support of the former League de Nation in 1920
supported Greek government, Greek State, for organizing census on linguistic diversity 90 years ago.
We believe that we can start in our country, in Greece, this is very fundamental having in mind that the
Greek official argumentation is 'there is no minority at all, there is no Macedonian minority in North
Greece'. So we believe that it would be very useful for a census in the early beginning of linguistic
diversity in North Greece. We know very well there is a large group of Macedonian minority, Romani
minority or Romani group, as well as Vlach minority speaking Vlach language in North Greece.
Thank you all for your attention and I believe in the next session we will contribute also in our
recommendations regarding the reports and discussion here in the international institution as it is the UN.
Thank you very much.