America and Russia clash in Macedonia

By Ylli Përmeti

As Moscow was celebrating Victory Day over Nazism on May 9, we witnessed a fight in the city of Kumanovo in which the Macedonian police were protagonist. At first it was a fight without an opponent. A few hours later, news agencies reported that the "opponent" was "the National Liberation Army" of the Albanians. As a result, 22 innocent people were killed (14 members of the army, eight police officers, a lot of wounded and ruined residencies). Although the event will be reported by the final report of the Macedonian police, on how it begun, which, unsurprisingly, is being delayed, judging from the final result - we may conclude that it has fired without warning.

First, because the police had preliminary information of it. For the same reason they could manage it differently: for example, by encircling and pressuring it to hand over into the police. Second, there was an unequal confrontation of powers: a powerful army (state's forces with heavy army), with a very inferior power. The police, therefore, violated the mandate: because the police before attacking s/o seek preliminary negotiations. For the role of the police is to prevent injuries, pains and bloodshed. And if we judge from the communiqué and of the action of the Albanian "army" - it bears three main contradictions:

• it claims to be a "liberation" army for all national Albanians. This is a contradiction because to represent a whole people it must be approved by it;

• it was there 'as a result of the terror exercised upon the Albanian people from the police state of Macedonia'. This is a contradiction because it ignores the emergence of revolt "from within", namely, from the same people; and

• it does not mention the right of Kumanovian people, for Self-determination and for the creation of another institutional framework through it the Albanian and Macedonian people will live together in harmony. On the contrary, it tells us that it 'is loyal of the ideal and the last will of martyrs, [and it] will fight until the end, for an Albanian national state, free and pure'!

The realization of the objective 'for an Albanian national state, free and pure' implies a lot of dynamics. But I will emphasise the last two conceptions: "free" and "pure" - by raising a question: 'free' and 'pure' from whom? Presumably from Macedonians! The approach for a 'pure' nation has been adopted historically by the Nazi. But let us hope that with 'purity' they mean "something" else.

Who triggered the fighting in Kumanovo?

Thus, this "army" misrepresent every struggle for "social and national liberation": because the struggle for liberation begins "from the oppressed people" and must not be pushed "from without", whoever may be. So here we are talking about for "social and national liberation". Not only for "national liberation". The later has been embraced historically by the "National Front" in Albania which collaborated with the Nazi! In short, this "army", if we can call it an 'army', cannot represent the whole people of Albania, since it violates every principle of 'representing' and 'liberation'. And there is another contradiction: they showed a lack of military organization since they courted disaster. Because if they were truly military officers - they wouldn't undertake such an action - particularly in actual conditions in which both Albania and Kosovo are in a deep multi-dimensional crisis.

Also read: Russia must build strong Orthodox coalition in Europe to defeat the West

The state of Macedonia, on the other hand, suffers from everything that other neighbouring countries suffer too - if not every country integrated into the New World Order (NWO) of Neoliberal Globalization (N/G) fully or/and partly. So, first, in Macedonia, there is no political organization that would fight for Self-determination and national unification. Albanian political parties have adopted the approach similar to all political parties in Albania: to integrate the country into the NWO of N/G. Second, Macedonia has installed the modern institutional framework of representative "democracy" and market economy as all other countries in the region and beyond - where the heteronomy and the exploitation of humans by humans is the main characteristic of the state. The concentration of power therefore becomes unavoidable. The ecofascism, in the double sense -economic and ecological- becomes also unavoidable. The accusations that the state of Macedonia is fascistic and the solution is the eradication of Macedonia, which are coming from "patriotic" circles, are without scientific foundation. Even if we accept this approach, the issue of organised ecofascism, as it was mentioned above, cannot be solved.

The use of Scanderbeg, the national hero of Albania, on the other hand, as an inspiration for the liberation of the Albanian territories from these circles is contradictory: because Scanderbeg, just because he was a 'strategist' (this word implies good knowledge of the military strategies, the advantages and disadvantages of the parties involved in the war and, of international politics) - triumphed in his battles against the biggest Empire of the time: the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, he had the approval of the Albanian people for leading it in war battles; had created the conditions and had a visible enemy. Unlike that time, the Albanians who fight for 'freedom', not only failed to create the conditions in the 'bosom' of the oppressed Albanians (Macedonia etc.) but they, unlike Scanderbeg, cooperate with the biggest Empire of our time: America! Namely, they cooperate with the hub of global power in order to replace a smaller regional power: the Macedonian state power. In addition, they cooperate with a power that lives thousands of miles away from them. This orientation in itself will estrange the people of the region with which they lived and will live in the same area for thousands of years. So, these circles, instead of revealing the real enemy of the people -the modern institutional framework and neoliberal globalization- and to self-criticise for their spontaneous actions from different organizations, they conform with the general approach that the enemy is Gruevsky who, moreover, may use the military doctrine of state terror for political reasons under the flag of the opposition (false flag)!

Who wants to set up Macedonian Prime Minister Gruevsky? 

Thirdly, the crisis in Macedonia was caused by the opposition leader, Zoran Zaev, when he revealed in public that the government of Gruevsky wiretapped his citizens. According to him, wiretapping was made possible with the help of a foreign agency! Albanian political parties have stood far from this battle. So the appearance of the Albanian armed forces in Kumanovo cannot have any relation with the battle of the political parties in power. On the other hand, the actual government consolidated its relations with the Russian government with the appointment of the new ambassador to Moscow, Goce Karajanov, an ex-member of the Russian Institute for International Relations. Meanwhile, Russia supported Macedonia for the arrests in Kumanovo in April of this year and condemned the efforts of Zaev for the "colour revolution" he has warned. Unlike other countries in the region, Macedonia sent its president for the Victory Day in Moscow and does not support Washington's sanctions against Russia.

Russian and Serbian newspapers, meanwhile, propagate the creation of "Greater Albania". The main problem with this propaganda is that it does not mention the right of the Albanian people for Self-determination! Nor do they mention the main characteristic of modern state: the concentration of power. It would not be a surprise that the government of Russia related the events in Kumanovo with the opposing stance of the Macedonian government against anti-Russian Western sanctions and the Balkan Stream gas pipeline. This confrontation raged with the revealing conversation of the interior minister, Jankulofska, in which she's being fascisticised against the Albanians of Macedonia. Clearly, it aimed at angering and including the Albanians of Macedonia for the 17^th May protest against the government.

The Americans, on the other hand, understood that Russia, with the agreement with Turkey - and later on with Greece (the government of "SYRIZA")- that the new stream, which could pass through Macedonia and beyond, along the line of the "TAP", which is being controlled directly by Washington and Brussels' bureaucrats, may challenge its monopoly. In other words, it will threaten its profits from the "TAP". For the same reason the annulment of the gas-project of Russia in the Balkans for Washington is a priority. It is not accidental that Washington uses the argument of 'dependence' from Russia and ignores the fact that it 'monopolises' the sector of energy in the region and beyond! And it is not accidental that after the agreement between the Greek and the Russian governments about the Balkan Stream, Washington "castrated" Greek Foreign Minister Nikolaos Kotzias by visiting him in all Zionist's "nests" (AIPAC, B'nai B'rith etc.) and other centres of international relations (CSIS etc.). Immediately after the meeting Washington sent its envoy of the State Department of Energy, Amos Hochstein, to Athens.

If we judge from recent reports, Washington is putting pressure both on Athens and Brussels for the annulment of the Russian project. And, it is not accidental that Greece operates unilaterally in some disputed regions for oil, and Washington keeps silent: because Greece signed an agreement in 2013 for the creation of a US army base in southern Greece to patrol the entire region with the use of UAVs! To implement the project, it would be normal that the government of Greece would seek Washington's diplomatic assistance in puting pressure on Albania. The latter, moreover, is being occupied economically mainly by three countries: Italy, Greece and Turkey, and has no political power for negotiations.

Thus, instead of fighting for the Russian gas, both countries, Greece and Albania, in order to put pressure on the price of the western gas industry and to lower the cost of production...they are playing the game of Washington and are in the process of destroying not only relations between the two countries, but the ecosystem of our seas and beyond. It should be emphasised here that both the Greek and Albanian governments are being dominated by western oil corporations. In other words, the exploitation of oil resources will be realised mainly by American corporations. And if the project of Russia is going to be impeded - it passes from the destabilization of Macedonia too. Because if Macedonia gets politically destabilised - Brussels will suspend any gas-line that could pass through Macedonia and Serbia towards Europe.

In other words, Washington is playing the same time with two (if not more) project "cornerstones": the Greek elite and Macedonia. If the Greek elite moves forward the Russian project, which under actual conditions is impossible - Washington will play with Macedonia. If not, Macedonia will be used. And if the objective of suspending it is being realised - Washington monopolises the sector of energy for the next hundred years. The monopolization of gas sector has been put forward recently by global oil and gas companies, such as Shell. This is a war, as administrators of global companies argue, of who is going to dominate the sector of energy in Europe for the next hundred years. 

Ylli Permeti