Summary

The text argues that certain Balkan nationalist narratives distort history by portraying some groups as more ancient and indigenous than others in order to justify territorial and political claims. It challenges Serbian claims over Kosovo and Slavic Macedonian claims of direct descent from ancient Macedonians, emphasizing instead the long-standing presence of Albanians in these regions. The text cites the work of George Nakratzas, who, despite being associated with pro–Slavic Macedonian circles, acknowledges the continuity of Illyrian identity and supports the view that many modern Albanians are descendants of ancient Illyrians.

Albanians pre-date Serbs and Slavs

The Serbs present themselves as older than Albanians in the Balkans, and thus argue that Kosovo was Serbian and the cradle of the Serbian people, while the Albanians came much later in the region. But this is a reversal of history. Similarly the Fyrom-pseudomacedonians that denying their Slavic origin and argue that originate from the ancient Macedonians, benefit immensely from this theory, since the presence of the Albanians in Skopje/Fyrom are a headache for pseudo-macedonians. So they solved the problem too by claiming that Albanians living in western Fyrom/Macedonia are not indigenous, but they came much later.

Unfortunately for the Fyrom/Macedonians, one of their supporter, George Nakratzas says the exact opposite. Nakratzas is a doctor and writer of ethnological issues who has sided in favor of Fyrom/Macedonia and collaborates with the party Rainbow, which is the party of peaudo-Macedonians in Greece, known for its anti-Greek action.

Nakrtatzas has founded a publishing bookstore with the name Batavia, the profits of which go to the party of Fyrom/Macedonians in Greece. Nakratzas has written two books including the origin of the Greeks and their neighbors. In his book “The close racial affinity of modern Greeks, Bulgarians and ethnic Macedonians. Macedonia-Thrace” writes:

“The Illyrians of the Macedonian kingdom must be lived in the western part of the current Yugoslav Macedonia, the limits of which cannot now be ascertained even approximately. The ethnic identity and language of the Illyrians never lost. Even today the majority of local residents are Albanians, who are generally regarded as the descendants of the ancient Illyrians” (p.29, ed. 2002). It would be a shock for Fyrommacedonians if they read this text from the book of Nakratzas.[…]

Source

The Close Racial Kinship of Modern Greeks, Bulgarians and Ethnic Macedonians. Macedonia-Thrace. 2002.