Following a lull since June, this month three additional countries recognized Kosovo, bringing the total number of countries recognizing the world's newest country to 47, representing 24% of the world's 195 countries. The three additional countries are Colombia, Malta, and Belize.
Kosovo is doing better on the recognition front than South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are only recognized by Russia and the terrorist organization Hamas since Russia recognized the two breakway Georgia entities on Monday.
Comments
Dear Matt
I am of Greek origin & I bumped on your site.I read a few articles, quite enlighting and useful I must say but I also saw with regret that in the “missing” countries list you name a country as Macedonia,that resulted from the split of Yugoslavia into several smaller countries,while YOU in particular should know that MACEDONIA is NOT a country. The name is NOT accepted by the Greeks and the EU and
HERE IS THE ENTIRE TEXT:
Dear Matt
I am of Greek origin, I live in Thessaloniki, which is the capital of MACEDONIA, the biggest region of GREECE. I bumped on your site today by chance.I read a few articles,very enlightening and useful indeed, but then I saw with sorrow and disappointment that you mention MACEDONIA, as one of the countries that resulted from the split of Yugoslavia (a “missing” country”).
YOU in particular should know that MACEDONIA is NOT a country but a province in Greece ( and the former Yugoslavian part under the same name has now formed a country whose name is still object of a big dispute in the EU because Macedonia and Macedonians were and are Greek, not Slavs. Philip the 2nd and Alexander the Great are 2 of the most prominent Macedonians and I don’t think there are doubts as to the fact that they were Greeks, right? ).
Until the dispute is solved, the “politically correct” name currently used is FYROM (that stands for Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia).
Thank you for the attention.
Theresa Tzitzira
Hi Theresa! Thanks for your post! I think that the politically correct name for Macedonia is whatever Macedonia wants to call itself. The country of Georgia doesn’t have to call itself “The Former Soviet Republic of Georgia” because there is a state of Georgia in the United States, right? So why can’t a country use whatever name it wants? -Matt
So, what are the names of those three countries? and where is the list of countries that recognized Kosovo?
Radu, I state in the post, “The three additional countries are Colombia, Malta, and Belize.” Follow the links for the background.
Matt good job answering your critics. The Greeks are the self proclaimed kings of the Balkans. The Greek government with a twisted view of history has from 1914 to present brainwashed an entire 3 generations of Greek minds, to understand that everything in the Balkans was and is GREEK. They have turned into one of the most hated ethnic groups in the Balkans because of it.
In the Balkan wars of 1912-1914 the Greeks and Serbs ganged up on Albania and took Kosovo (to Serbia) and Chameria (to Greece) or 1/2 of the Albanian lands. There would be no Albania today if it wasn’t for USA President Woodrow Wilson stand in 1914 on the existance of Albania. Greece would have invaded all of Albania and proclaimed it was always Greek.
Macedonia was never Greek because if it was why would Macedonia have had to invade and conquer Greece as it did during Philip’s time? By the way Modern Greek compared to ancient Greek bares little resemblance in both language and bloodlines. Today its hard to imagine a Greek that does not have blood lines to Turkey. So their argument that Macedonia is Greek is complete nonsense, since Greeks are not 100% Greeks themselves.
if you would like to see who recognized kosovo plz. visit: http://www.kosovothanksyou.com
I am a Curmudgeon and at 75 years of age recognize something worth reading. About.com Geography is the best. I am a History channel member so between it and you there is nothing better!!!!
Matt, I agree with you that a country has the right to choose its own name. I am not much informed as to why the country of Greece objects to the new country of Macedonia choosing the same name as a province in Greece. And, I had always assumed that the ancient Macedonia of Philip and Alexander were not Greek.
There are other similar international examples of twice-used toponyms: the Punjab provinces in Pakistan and India; and Mexico/New Mexico, California/Baja California del Norte, Mongolia/Inner Mongolia, Guinea/Guinea-Bissau/Papua New Guinea, the two Congos, and surely others.
Dear Matt,
Thank you for your clear view on Macedonia. What is happening to us now is unbelievable! How do you go about changing a country’s name and involving both NATO and EU in your “agenda”? Ask Greece!
We are suffering both economically and politically because of this; I hope people like you will help influence their public and have it stopped. We don’t have a spare name.
Matt, I recommend you read about the conflict and the facts before you write some unintelligent post like this again. Don’t tell me that you have any clue about the dispute because I will laugh. It is stupid to bring up as an example the country Georgia with the state of Georgia, a sign that shows that you are clueless. It is sad that a nation wannabe like FYROM has been brainwashed since its existence by politians with ambitions to expand the border to the land of a superior nation. They must have forgotten who created the jobs they have today and feed their families. By claiming some else’s history won’t get them anywhere. Predictions refer to a future total elimination of this so called “country”.
I thought the “superior nations” died out with Hitler, but there you go… As for the dependence on the “jobs we have” (I guess you are referring to Greek companies in Macedonia employing less than 1% of the total employed) you can turn this around: Greeks must have forgotten who is helping them make profit on which they feed their families…
Everything Greece has done until now, since Macedonia’s independence, is going in the direction of supporting those “predictions” – that Macedonia wouldn’t exist.
But you see, we exist: because I and 2-3 million other “brainwashed” have freely chosen to call themselves Macedonians and their country Macedonia, and 120 countries have recognized this fact.
Adjust your gps, this is 21st century, Europe.
I am Greek. I have finished my History Major in the US. Ancient Macedonia, was and is Greek. Alexander the Great is Greek and so was Philip the 2nd. Just look at their names “Alexander” leader of men, and “Philip” friend of horses. They are both ancient Greek names, which are still in use today. Alexander took part in the Olympic games, were only GREEKS could take part. Alexander was also taught by Aristotle, who had a poor opinion of non Greek people. And to reply to a previous comment above that Ancient Greek culture is not equivalent to Modern Greek, just visit Greece. It is. We have the same language (and yes it has evolved like all languages do, its like saying English hasn’t evolved at all from the past, just try to read Shakespeare). We have the same problems as we did in the past. This argument of whether Anc. Macedonia is Greek id ridiculous, as so are the claims of FYROM. Wake up, your slavs, and didn’t show up until after the Hellenization Age for like 1000 years. Ridiculous people you are. Call yourselves whatever you want, but don’t try and steal our history, be proud of yourselves and make your own history. Read some history written from any Historian outside of your country and read the truth. Even your ex prime minister said your Holdings to Ancient Macedonia are ridiculous.
Dear all,
I am Greek and I would like to reply to our friends who say that people from FYROM are related to Ancient Macedonians. I don’t blame them because this is what they are tought since they were children in school. I would just like them to reply to some basic history questions (in addition to those Chris already mentioned):
1. If you look in a writing by Ancient Macedonia which language do you think it resembles to? Modern Greek or FYROM language. Additionally, isn’t FYROM language very similar to Bulgarian?
2. How do you explain that Ancient Macedons claimed to be descendants of Hercules (similarly as Spartans did)?
3. How do you explain that when Alexander won a major battle in Persia he sent to Greece the message that “… all Greeks, except Spartans – who didn’t joined the campaign – were victorious”?
4. How do you explain that Ancient Macedons had the same religious beliefs with the rest of Greeks and were sending offers in the Panhellenic religious center of Delphi?
Concerning the relation of Modern to Ancient Greeks I will not claim any DNA resemblance which is hard to prove and which I don’t think it’s meaninfull for most nations in the World. For example, is Italians’ DNA 100% similar to that of ancient Romans? Are modern Turks immediate descendants of the tribes that arrived to Europe from the lands around Aral sea?
Being Greek is more related to the spirit and I think that Modern Greeks are far more related to Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine spirit than to the Ottoman/Turkish/Islamic civilization. After 400! years of Ottoman occupation and we maintained our Christian religion and our language (by the way in order not be misunderstood, I don’t think that being a Turk is bad, I just state some history facts).
Concerning the right of a country to self-determination, I absolutely agree as long as this doesn’t hide other plans. I cannot believe that this is the case with FYROM when I see maps of “Great Macedonia” reaching down to Mount Olympus; right to self-determination doesn’t seem so innocent. Now someone can say that we Greeks are over-reacting; I’d like just to remind that an “Absolut” vodka ad in US was withdrawn because it depicted half of US territory being occupied by Mexico (… and it was just an ad, not a real threat for US!)
Finally, to reply to Mila, I also don’t believe in superior nations and you are right to say that this is Hitler-way of thinking. Please, examine in the history books whose side “slav-macedonians” took in WW2 and whose side Greeks took.
Anyway, instead of fighting with each other I think that it would be to the benefit of all to work together especially in a troubled area as the Aemos penninsula (i.e Balkans and Greece). Just think, who really benefits from the “divide and conquer” strategy…
Best regards to all
Please, examine in the history books whose side “slav-macedonians” took in WW2 and whose side Greeks took.I
I shouuld feel much obliged to you if you would be so kind to send me such books with forewod by Metaxas and generals Pathakos and Papadopulos.
To Theodore & Chris Papadopoulos:
Look, I don’t even bother to argue about ancient Macedonia and whether it was Greek. I don’t care.
Somewhere in between since those 2500 years (!) we came to exist as people and nation. You can blow me with all the history you like – it doesn’t matter to me.
Why? Because I exist, I feel Macedonian, and so do all the people in this country and our emigration.
This is my only point.
Any idiot can draw any kind of maps. But, we can argue about “innocence”, when Greece recognizes property and citizenship rights to (ethnic) Macedonians expelled from Greece during the Civil War, and when it allows determination as (ethnic) Macedonian in its census. I am not claiming that there are 10 gazzillion Macedonians in Greece, but this will do justice to their civil liberties, just as with the property and citizenship. These are the people that draw those maps.
To Mila,
Regards to the expelled Slavic community during the Greek Civil War, you have no justice there because you LOST the war. I cannot understand how you people cannot grasp this concept, there are consequences when you lose a war.
If the communists were successful in their campaign in the 40′s and the Greeks after 60 years start making claims to get back their properties, what would your reaction be?
When 1.5 million Greeks were uprooted in the 1922-23 exchange from Anatolia, who were living there for over two melleniums, do we ask the Turks that the Anatolian Coast including Constantinople (Istanbul) should be returned to Greece??
There are wars and then there are treaties – read and observe what was written.
to Skenderberg Gostivar
obviously u hate Greeks too much and obviously u are Albanian…
its funny when an Albanian talks about sovinism and injustice.Because
1)Albania does not recognize North Epirus a land in the Greekalbanian boarders which is inhabited by ethnic Greek peolple who speak the Greek language and are treated with racism and as second class citizens in Albania.North Epirus was a gift to Albania from the Italians during ww2 for the ”services” that Albanians offered to the nazis during the war (we all know that Albanian was with the Axis’ side )
2) Albanians commited numerous attrocities in Kosovo with the assistance of the ”smart” american bombs….no further comments but Kosovo was is and will be a Serbian land invaded by Albanians
3) another funny thing said by an Albanian is that today we cant find a Greek with no bloodlines from Turkey since Albanians are often called as Turkalbanians (especially the muslim ones )
Greeks remanined Christians and exchanged populations with Turkey after the ending of the war
All Greeks that were living in Turkey moved to Greece and all Turks that were living in Greece moved to Turkey..A thing that didnt happen with the Turks of Albania…plus Albania (and secondly Bosnia) are the countries with the biggest muslim percentage in Europe (around 50%) while Greece has only 1%!! So the right sentence should be that today its very hard to find an Albanian with no blodlines in Turkey (nevertheless Turks themselves call Albanians a sibling nation….) MOreover there’s a very logic theory which states that Ottoman Turks brought Albanians from Caucasus in the middle ages.
All these facts and many more make Albanians the most hated ethnic group in the Balkans today
3)Iam a Macedonian and my ethnicity is Greek…i speak the same language that Alexander the Great of Macedon was speaking and i live in the land that Alexander and his father Philip II were born and lived..Macedonians never conquered the other Greek cities because Macedonians were a Greek Dorian tribe just like the Spartans were and they were participating in the Olympic games an event where only ethnic Greeks were allowed to participate
the land that today is called Fyrom Vardarska Banovina whatever was never Macedonian land and we can see this clearly if we take a look in maps that present the balkans during the ancient times..Macedonia lied only in today’s Greek territory and the land norther of Greece was named Paeonia and not Macedonia…So how can someone can wake up one sweet mornign and steal a name of a neighbooring country’s province and claim its history after 2000 years ASK FYROM!
as for our language the neohellenic it has some differences with the ancient hellenic language but so does modern Italian with Latin isnt it? Does it mean that Italians are not Italians?
Look, I don’t care if we descend from the Ancient Macedonians or not. I couldn’t care less! And if you feel Macedonian and live in Greece, I’m absolutely fine with that. I am Macedonian, and that’s my personal choice, which coincides with all the people in this country. Even the Albanian population here recognizes that this is a basic human rights issue that Greece is trying to violate.
And to James: the fact that you (with $4.5B 2008′s dollars help from the Americans!!!) won the war against the communists, does not give you the right to deprive part of your nation from citizenship and property. What you did in 1947 was worse than communism: it’s ethnic cleansing, that you are trying to cover up now with this “name issue”.
I have irrefutable evidence for the EU and Greece. But, a warning, the truth hurts.
Why do the old Macedonian people not know how to speak Greek? They speak their mother tongue which is Macedonian.
1) Macedonia was divided between Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia in 1913.
2) The Macedonian language was suppressed by the Greek government in 1936.
3) In 1926 Macedonian toponyms were changed by the Greek government.
4) From 1913 the first and last names of the people were changed from Macedonian into Greek.
5) Since 1913 you are not allowed to baptize a Macedonian baby in Aegean Macedonia with a Macedonian name.
6) From 1926 the Greek government in Aegean Macedonia erased the Macedonian writing on the church icons and replaced them with Greek letters.
7) If Aegean Macedonia was Greek why do the farms and mountains still have Macedonian names.
9) According to the Greek government, Macedonians and Macedonian language in Aegean Macedonia does not exist. I’m asking the Greek authorities, why, in 1925 did the Greek Government print a primer in the Macedonian language.
10) What the Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia (Greece) want is human rights, Macedonian schools, to restore our original Macedonian first and last names from Ioannis Patsopulos to Jovan Pachev. We do not want new borders.
11) With no fear from the Greek government to declare ourselves that we speak Macedonian and we are Macedonians, we do not have to lie and pretend that we are Greeks by descent, yes we are Greek citizens, but we are still Macedonian.
12) The Greek position is very clear and simple: Macedonians and Macedonian language does not exist. Greece is a racially homogenous State and has no minorities.
I believe Greece is still using this method to this day to count people in its state. How else does one explain the Greek demographic of 98% “Pure Greek” and 2% “Muslim Greeks”?
13) The EU keeps turning a deaf ear to the truth about Greek atrocities.