Did Victoria Nuland just set in motion regime change in Macedonia?

Why does this matter to Nuland?

1. Greek Stream
2. Turk Stream
3. Stop Russia’s Turk Stream from entering Europe via Greece Stream, up through Macedonia.

The US has planted a very radical and loyal Albanian bulwark in the middle of the Balkans (after breaking apart Yugoslavia) to activate on an as needed basis in situations just like these, where Greece (or any other Balkan nation) decides to step out of line with the Empire’s plan to marginalise Russia and keep control of Europe.

Via Reuters…

Explosions and heavy gunfire rocked a town in northern Macedonia on Saturday as police moved against what authorities described as an “armed group”, heightening fears of instability in the ex-Yugoslav republic after months of political crisis.

Medical workers said at least four officers had been seriously wounded after special police units in armoured vehicles launched an operation in a suburb of Kumanovo, some 40 km (25 miles) north of the capital Skopje in an area that saw fighting during an ethnic Albanian insurgency in 2001.

The town was sealed off and 10 hours after the operation began shortly before daybreak a Reuters photographer reported hearing intense automatic gunfire and two loud explosions.

Helicopters circled the ethnically-mixed region of some 100,000 people and an interior ministry spokesman said he had information on “casualties” but refused to say how many.

The events are likely to deepen concern in the West over stability in Macedonia, where the government is on the ropes over allegations by the main opposition, the Social Democrats, of illegal wire-tapping and widespread abuse of office.

The opposition has begun small but daily protests demanding the resignation of conservative Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, and is threatening to rally thousands on May 17.

Observers fear political leaders on either side may try to stoke ethnic tensions as leverage.

Interior ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said that police had acted “on previously received information about an armed group”. He told a press conference the gunmen were planning “terrorist acts” and had “infiltrated” the country from a neighbouring state, without saying which.

Opposition leader Zoran Zaev, who has been releasing damaging wire tapes he says were recorded by the government and leaked to him by a whistleblower, appeared to suggest the drama had been concocted.

“I call on Nikola Gruevski to immediately come before the citizens and explain who wants to destabilise Macedonia, why and with what purpose,” he said in a statement.

“This dark scenario will not work. The citizens see who has an interest in such a scenario.”

An estimated 30 percent of Macedonia’s 2 million people are ethnic Albanians. Guerrillas took up arms in 2001, clashing with security forces before the West brokered a peace deal offering the Albanian minority greater rights and representation and the insurgents entered government.

But implementation has been slow and tensions sometimes flare. Many in Macedonia, regardless of ethnicity, are frustrated at the glacial pace of development and integration with the West, with the country’s bid to join the European Union and NATO blocked by a long-running dispute with Greece over the country’s name.

The Saker has an excellent, in depth analysis of Vicky Nuland’s latest regime change adventure. We suggest taking the time to read through it because this may be another European tragedy played out in the next few months. For now we thought this excerpt from the Saker’s post adds some great context to the dilemma in the Balkans.

Media serving the overthrow

Campaign to promote the protests and overthrow of the government of Nikola Gruevski is led by media such as Radio Free Europe, Al Jazeera Balkans and Nova TV, funded by USAID, Netherlands, Open Society and many others from the famous group of donors in charge of “soft power” that prepares the overthrows of the unsuitable regimes.

It is true that a police officer beat Neshkovski to death, but it is also true that there isn’t a slightest possibility that Zaev is led by the concern for the tragic fate of the murdered young man, and his only goal is to overthrow Gruevski.

Unfortunately, for this goal he found the worst possible sponsors, and besides the religious tensions within the Islamic community, the eternal tension with the Albanian minority, whose extremists openly threaten with a secession of western Macedonia, Zaev, in the name of so-called “freedom, democracy, justice and fairness” plays with the destiny of all Macedonian citizens and the fate of his homeland.

Some foreign analysts published a comprehensive analysis about the connections of Zaev with American billionaire George Soros, and Macedonian ‘Kurir’ (Courier) wrote that the moves of the Macedonian opposition leader are dictated exactly by those that don’t wish well for Macedonia. “To large extent, his moves are dictated by Soros’s institute which is financing media work as extended arm of the opposition and it loudly and violently support. Lately, for journalists paid by Soros, set themselves in advisory capacity of Zaev. What is worrying is the fact that people employed by Soros in the media were the ones that for long time advocate for escalation of events and spread hate speech. It is obviously, Zoran Zaev is not able to plan nor his next step. He did not know which way to head faced with the disclosure, the facts, evidence, and confessions.” as written on 20th of April in English edition on Macedonian Kurir. (http://kurir.mk/en/?p=44510)

But let’s suppose that the Kurir is Gruevski’s newsletter and serves for media bickering between government and the opposition. If so, that certainly can’t be said for investigative journalist Wayne Madsen, who describes in detail the background of the arrival of new US ambassador to Skoplje Jess Bailey, who for years worked in Turkey, but also has excellent connections in the Balkans, where his arrival was immediately felt.

The role of Victoria Nuland

Madsen in his analysis ‘Nuland attempts Kiev Version 2.0 in Skopje’ (http://m.strategic-culture.org/news/2015/02/16/nuland-attempts-kiev-version-2-skopje.html) extensively explains the role of Victoria Nuland, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, in developments in Macedonia and that the project of overthrowing of Gruevski was decided among American neo-cons, which through the CIA, NED, NDI, Soros’ Open Society Foundation and Freedom House completely dominated the Macedonian social democrats from SDSM. Madsen writes that “Zaev and Sekerinska are said by Macedonian insiders to be nothing more than fronts for former Prime Minister and President Branko Crvenkovski who continues to head up the SDSM and accept large amounts of largesse from such CIA NGO laundry to foment a themed revolution against Gruevksi’s right-of-center VMRO-DPMNE government.” Macedonian police in raids conducted in Skopje and Veles seized five laptops, three desktop computers, 19 mobile phones, 100 compact discs, 17 hard-drives and nine digital books – material that reveals connections of Nuland and her collaborators with conspirators against the government. Madsen writes that, according to the confiscated materials, all of them were connected with the Soros NGOs. In addition, all the bank accounts of a group of people close Zaev were linked with pure cash deposits of CIA.

Zaev actually just speaks of “freedom and democracy”, “human rights and justice” in general, and leads no policy other than destructive one, which has the sole goal of overthrowing the current government. Experiences of Georgia, Ukraine and all other countries that in this way established a new “democratic government” are warning to the Macedonians to think well whom they will support, even if it goes against their traditional beliefs. Many in Macedonia will never suppor VMRO-DPMNE, but they should equally be aware that the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia has nothing to do with socialism and democracy, as well as many European parties of that name.

References:

http://thesaker.is/it-has-started-or-wise-up-macedonians/

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/05/09/uk-macedonia-police-idUKKBN0NU0EU20150509