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Disagreements over history and historical symbols
are once again an important political issue in Southeast Europe. In
recent months, the Bulgarian government has threatened to block the
opening of negotiations between Brussels and Skopje, demanding that
Northern Macedonia accept the "historical truth" that Macedonian
identity and language have Bulgarian roots and that the Macedonian
nation was created by Tito and the Comintern.
Upholding the positions expressed in the "Defend
History" Declaration, we, the undersigned, reject and condemn this
act of historical revisionism and abuse of history for political
purposes. We believe that such an approach is dangerous not only for
history as a humanistic discipline, but also for democracy and
prosperity of the region, and of the European Union itself. Imposing
"historical truths" is unacceptable and perilous. The Macedonian
nation was not created any differently than any other nation, and
the right to self-determination is a basic human right.
This is why we are asking historians in Northern
Macedonia and Bulgaria, but also in all the countries of the region,
to be professional and stand up to the abuses of their discipline.
We are asking politicians to act responsibly and not support
historians who incite nationalist conflicts, and to refrain from
exerting pressures that lead to distortions of the past. We are
asking European institutions and nations to react to the abuses of
history, respecting the basic principles of the European Union that
have been threatened in the Balkans and Europe in the last few days,
principles such as diversity, anti-fascism and democracy. The
European Union was founded to redress the negative experiences of
the past, and that is why we must not allow historical manipulations
to destroy the principles on which the idea of a united Europe is
based.
We, the undersigned, express our support to
intellectuals and historians in Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria who
are openly opposing political pressures and fighting to protect
their profession and professional standards. It is only in
solidarity that can we overcome the serious difficulties that lie
ahead!
Prof. dr. Dubravka Stojanović, The
University of Belgrade
Prof. dr. Husnija Kamberović, The
Universityof Sarajevo
Prof. dr. Tvrtko Jakovima, TheUniversity
of Zagreb
Prof. dr. Božo Repe, The University of
Ljubljana
Doc. dr. Adnan Prekić, The University of
Montenegro
Dr. Snježana Koren, TheUniversity of
Zagreb
Dr. Milivoj Bešlin, The University of
Belgrade
Prof. dr. Damir Agičić, TheUniversity of
Zagreb
Doc. dr. Branimir Janković, The
University of Zagreb
Prof. dr Momir Samardžić, The University
of Novi Sad
Dr Olga Manojlović Pintar, The Institute
for Recent History of Serbia,Belgrade
Prof. dr. Hrvoje Klasić, The University
of Zagreb
Prof. dr. Radina Vučetić, TheUniversity
ofBelgrade
Dr Srđan Milošević, The Institute for
Recent History of Serbia,Belgrade
Dr Aleksandar R. Miletić, The Institute
for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade
Veljko Stanić, Beograd
Petar Žarković, Beograd
Dr. Dragan Markovina, Mostar-Split
Prof. dr. Živko Andrijašević, The
University of Montenegro
Doc. dr. Dragutin Papović, The University
of Montenegro
Mr. Ivan Tepavčević, The University of
Montenegro
Mr. Milan Šćekić, The University of
Montenegro
Dr. Boban Batrićević, Institute of
Montenegrin Language and Literature, Cetinje
Mr. Edin Omercic, The Institute for
History, Sarajevo
Vlado Vurušić, Zagreb
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