Letter from the Provisional Government of Macedonia to the Russian Consul in Salonica 1880

THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA - "UNlTY"

21st May 1880

The Provisional Government of Macedonia

No. 3 the Gremen teke 21st May 1880

General Consul of all Russia To His Excellency, N. Uljanov, Salonika

Your Excellency,

We send You this protocol decision of the National Assembly of Macedonia on behalf of the Provisional Government of Macedonia, begging You to send it to H. R. H. the Emperor of all Russia, Alexander ll. We hope that the Russian Government will support the righteous demands of the Macedonian people and will help them to obtain equitable treatment similar to that of the other Balkan peoples.

The Provisional Government of Macedonia, President, Vasil Simon

Members: 1. Anastas Dimitrovic 2. Ali Efendi (Albanian)

Enclosure:

PROTOCOL DECISION

The National Assembly of the Macedonian people, composed of provisional representatives of the people from various regions, was convened in Gremen teke, dealt with the general political situation within the country and examined all that would be necessary for the attainment of the national aim in Macedonia. On this occasion, the painful history of this country was taken into consideration, for centuries suffering from the violent acts of the authorities and from the pillage and savagery of the Circassians who had long ago settled in certain areas; the following elements were also taken into consideration:

- owing to her geographical location in the centre of Turkey in Europe, Macedonia has always been the victim of insurrections and pillage by the Turkish irregular soldiery, the Circassians and Ghegas;

- Macedonia, more than any other country, for political reasons has been ethnically divided into Slavs, Greeks, Albanians, Wallachians and Turks, while the occupiers have striven to dismember it, by which the national existence of the Macedonians has been undermined, relegating them always to misery;

- Macedonia was left as an orphan at the international congresses of the Great Powers;

- owing to the recent changes in European Turkey, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, under the Treaty of Berlin of 1878, were granted full independence, Bulgaria, East Rumelia and Crete acquired their civil rights, and Epirus and Thessaly are looking forward to their union with Greece, while only Macedonia, which had a civilization of her own in ancient times, producing Aristotle and Alexander the Great, is deprived of any assistance;

- none of the decisions of the peace treaties has been implemented concerning the civil rights of the Macedonian population; Article 15 of the preliminary Treaty of San Stefano provided for full autonomy of the majority of Macedonia, and Article 23. of the Treaty of Berlin granted her organic regulations similar to the Crete Regulations of 1868; yet, two years have elapsed so far without anything being done.

In accordance with all of this, the Assembly of the Macedonian representatives unanimously decided:

1. First to inform the Sublime Porte through the chief governor (the Vali) of Macedonia about the rightful demands of the Macedonian people for the immediate implementation of Article 23. of the Treaty of Berlin.

2. To hand over this decision to the consular representatives of the Great Powers that signed the Treaty of Berlin with the request that they intercede with the Sublime Porte in favor of the implementation of Article 23. of the Treaty of Berlin. Should the Sublime Porte take no action, the Provisional Government of Macedonia will call the Macedonian people to take up arms with the slogan - Macedonia to Macedonia, for the restoration of Ancient Macedonia.

For the Provisional Government of Macedonia., President: Vasil Simon Secretary: signature illegible Chief Commander of the Military Forces of Macedonia: Kramontov

Archiva Ministerul Afacerilor Straine (Bucuresti) Fondut Constantinopol. Consulat Salonic. 31. VII/12. VIII, 1880, pp. 28-33.