A diplomatic and media battle has flared up in Canada over the past month after representatives of the United Macedonian Diaspora published an article in the influential National Post. Before the declaration of the judgment of the International Court of Justice, Meto Koloski and Mark Branov authored and published an article “Time to Let Macedonia Play with the Big Boy” arguing that Macedonia should join NATO. The article prompted a storm of reactions from the Greek diaspora in Canada, primarily Quebec, followed by a diplomatic war through letters by the consuls general of Macedonia and Greece.

The whole atmosphere resembles that in the USA of 7-8 years ago when the Greek disapora, whose main spearhead was the Pan-Hellenistic Movement, managed to persuade a few federal parliaments to adopt resolutions whose principle argument was that “Macedonians are Helens.” Such a declaration was passed also in Illinois, where President Barack Obama is from and where numerous Greeks live. Fortunately many Macedonians live there as well and so they responded with a counter-resolution and so the battle for historical facts made its way to the Congress. However, the Greeks succeeded only in having a resolution passed that is not binding and has no direct effect on the US foreign policy.