Greek officials recognized Macedonian language in 1915

Greek Documents Contradict Athens

By Katerina Blazhevska

Translated and edited by Risto Stefov

Dnevnik, May 12, 2008

http://www.dnevnik.com.mk/?itemID=B6DCEBF8A2E9EA4C810F75392CC5917D&arc=1

      An original document from 1915 exists today which proves that the Greeks took an oath on the bible that they would truthfully translate in the Macedonian language. This proves that the Macedonian language and identity existed prior to 1915 and that the Greeks acknowledged its existence in official legal documents. This indisputably negates current Greek propaganda that the Macedonian language and identity were inventions concocted by the communists.

  The document in question, one of many, is an agreement concluded in Lerin on March 6^th, 1915 . This written agreement is between Stavro Stojched, a Macedonian and Alim Juzeir, a Turk, neither of whom spoke the Greek language and both were in need of a translator.  To conclude this agreement the Greek government in Lerin provided a certified translator who spoke Macedonian, Turkish and Greek. In the certified document it says: “Before me, the notary Vasiliou P. Kuvela, in the presence of witnesses, Greek citizens who are familiar to me, never before sentenced, residents of Lerin, businessmen Theodor Keramitsi and Hristo Danail, appeared before me and identified as Stavro Stojchev, farmer, resident of Opsirina, Florina Region and Alim Juzeir, farmer, resident of Florina. They don’t speak the Greek language. The first speaks Macedonian and the second Turkish. We call on the translator Naum Griva, Tobacco businessman, who took oath before the Holy Bible that shall truthfully translate from Macedonian and Turkish to Greek and from Greek to Macedonian and Turkish.”

In the text it also says that Juseir borrowed 5,530 drachmas or 200 Ottoman liras from Stojchev. The document is signed by the witnesses and certified by the seal of the notary public, a Greek government administrator.  The document is original with several tax stamps and other official Greek stamps applied to it.

      This particular document was safeguarded for many years by the descendants of Stavro Stojchev and found its way into the hands of Petre Nakovski, former Ambassador to Poland , who has been doing research for a book about the Macedonian refugee children from Aegean Macedonia entitled “Macedonian Refugees in Poland 1948-1975”, soon to be published.

      This document, one of many, no doubt contradicts Greek and Bulgarian claims that the Macedonian language and ethnic identity are concocted by Josep Broz Tito and the Communists.