"A group of laymen and clergymen from the so-called "People's Republic of Macedonia", Yugoslavia arrived in Rome in May of 1970 in order to place a plaque "in the name of the Macedonian people" at the grave of St. Cyril as a token of gratitude to him and to his saintly brother, Methodius, for their creation of the Slavonic alphabet. Heading the clergy was Dositey - until recently, the Metropolitan of Skopie - who, in accord with the Communist authorities in Yugoslavia, proclaimed himself the restorer of the ancient Archiepiscopate of Ohrid.
In connection with the above visit, we wish to bring the following information to the attention of certain eminent institutions and world public opinion.
1. The laymen in this particular group cannot be considered as representatives of the people because never, since the region in question was taken over by Yugoslavia in 1918, have democratic elections taken place there...
3. But, if the delegation had wanted to place the plaque only in the name of the Macedonian Slavs, it is our duty to point out that there are Macedonian Slavs (actually Bulgarians) within the borders of Bulgaria also, aproximately eight hundred thousand of them, almost as many as are found under Yugoslav rule. They never authorized the above-mentioned "delegation" to place a commemorative plaque in their name in the Basilica of St. Clement in Rome, as a plaque in the name of all the Bulgarian people has been on the historic grave since 1929. This means that in 1929 due respect was expressed also on behalf of the one million Bulgarians who were suffering under the oppressive Serbian Royal rule, and who today, have become by Yugoslav decree members of an heretofore unknown "Macedonian nationality," which was unheard of until the advent of the Communist dictatorship there...
11. When in 1913, Macedonian territory was seized by Serbia and then, in 1919 and 1944, by so-called Yugoslavia, the new rulers immediately and forcibly closed all the Bulgarian churched (more than 1300 with 73 monasteries). They also closed down the 1370 Bulgarian schools, and drove out of the country 2266 school teachers, 1310 priests and seven bishops, nearly all of whom were Macedonian-born Bulgarians.
12. Instead of supporting Belgrade's propaganda of falsifications, the so-called Archiepiscope Dositey of Ohrid and his masters in the Belgrade Politburo would do better if they were to answer why they commited the above-mentioned outrage, which is real national-cultural genocide of the Bulgarian nationality in Macedonia. They must also give an answer to the following questions:
a) Why did they forcibly change the personal names of tens of thousands of persons in the Macedonian provinces that are occupied by Yugoslavia?
b) Why have they changed the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet of our people and made it resemble the Serbian?
c) Why are they constantly introducing more and more Serbian words and expressions in the national Bulgarians dialects in Macedonia, proclaiming this distorted language as the "Macedonian literary language"?...
d) Why is the Bulgarian name forbidden in Macedonia under Yugoslav rule?
e) Why have they forbidden the appearance of all literature, regardless of the language in which it is written, that brings out the truth about the Macedonian Bulgarians and their past?
f) Why is false information given out in the schools and to the local public even in regard to the Macedonian Liberation Struggle, which has received wide confirmation from hundreds of newspapers, statesmen and officials through the world, especially during the period between the Great Wars, that this is a struggle of the Macedonian Bulgarians?...
13. Yugoslavia spreads its propaganda and falsifications through a cunning use of the geographic name" "Macedonia." But in Europe there are many geographic names which do not denote the name of the nationality...
14. The Macedonian Liberation Struggle works for the creation of an independent Macedonia. But, the reby, the Macedonian Bulgarians are making a supreme sacrifice, for they are voluntarily agreeing to remain outside the boundaries of Bulgaria. This they do in the name of Balkan reconciliation.
The Macedonian Liberation Struggle takes as its model the example of Switzerland, where no one has ever closed anyone else's churches or schools or has ever forcibly imposed a new language, where no one has ever denied the use of his national name or has ever had his history falsified, where no one's alphabet has been altered, where no one is forced to read only the historical material that has received police approval, and finally, where no one is denied his basic freedoms.
Imperialist Yugoslavia, with her policy of oppression, is the sworn enemy of this sacred national ideal, which is the saving formula for the Balkans and, consequently, a benefit for all of Europe..."

Източник: Сканирана от оригинален екземпляр

Автор: Петър Георгиев Ацев роден в град Скопие през 1903 г. и починал в Торонто през 1982 г. е български общественик, редактор на в-к "Македонска трибуна" , национален секретар и шести по ред президент на централния комитет на Македонската патриотична организация .

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