Subject: Stability originates here, in Thessaloniki (Makedoniki Zoi, August 1995)
From: savaidis@athena.compulink.gr (Prodromos Sabbaidis)

STABILITY ORIGINATES HERE, IN THESSALONIKI
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Main article of Makedoniki Zoi, August 95
 (issue #350)
 
Unpleasant, but not also original, views were presented in the last meeting
of the european council, blaming Greece for the state of Athens-Skopjie 
relations. The main cause was claimed to be the greek embargo, and the whole
argument concludes that the stabilisation of the new state of Skopjie 
should be accomplished at any cost, with Greece giving up her case.
 
"Makedoniki Zoi" (macedonian life) has from the beginning disagreed both with
the Greek embargo and views of the West. Nothing can be stabilized with 
"solutions" that produce conditions of more general upheaval, either imminent
or of the near future, but in either case more than certain. We have 
repeatedly explained that the stability of Skopje does not depend on external
factors, but mainly on internal ones.
 
In greek Macedonia though, developments are far from unpleasant. There 
are more pleasant developments, which are more permanent and much more 
substantial than just view. More importantly, they bear witness to the 
fact that all Balkan states realise that only Greece, with Thessaloniki in 
particular as a focus, is the safest and surest haven of stability, 
development and hope in the unsettled today region of the Balkans.
 
In particular, the last five days of June have been revealing and much dense
in developments, that can be summarised thus:
1)The founding of the Balkanian Union of News Agencies has been signed in 
Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki has also been appointed as the seat of the union,
where an Electronic Information Databank is being organised, maintained by
the Macedonian News (Press) Agency and is funded by the European Union.
2)The founding of the union of Lawyers' Unions of the Balkans has been 
signed, also in Thessaloniki. The seat of the union will also be 
established in Thessaloniki.
3)The general secretaries of the municipalties of Europe held their meeting
in Thessaloniki, in order to prepare for the meeting of European Mayors 
that will be held in Thessaloniki on May 1996
4)With the Balkans as its target area, the Euroinvestment Bank was opened
in Thessaloniki. This bank belongs to the Latsis Union of Banks, which 
has - in its banks only - more capital than the National Bank of Greece, the 
banking giant of the Balkans in whole. In the opening ceremony, the former
president of the U.S., mr George Bush gave a speech. The Latsis Union, in
co-operation with Bulgaria and Russia, is actively advancing the 
establishing of the three-nation-wide oil pipeline, from Burgas to 
Alexandroupolis, to transport the strategically important oil production of 
the Kaspian sea and Caucasus.
5)The European center of Profession Training (an establisment of the 
European Union) is fully prepaired to commence its operations in Thessaloniki
from September.
6)The European programmes of international co-operation of all the 
neighbouring states, with greek managing and Thessaloniki as its center, have
been signed and put in immediate effect.
 
There are more such developments. The forementioned six however speak for 
themselves. So, we the Makedonians have every reason to be optimistic in 
spite of international policy manipulations and "exercises on maps"