Yugoslav mother views wreckage of homes after NATO bombing in 1999
Of the 237 countries in the world or the 193 in the UN, 20 countries (16 European
and 4 outside Europe) have sent weapons and other war material to Ukraine.
They are all Western states and members of NATO. Of these, 12 participated in
the invasion, destruction, and dissolution of Yugoslavia in March 1999. The Greek
government at the time remained neutral in contrast to the current government
that rushed to participate in the "glory" of death and destruction.
The invasion of Yugoslavia happened without the approval of the UN Security
Council, as is the case now with Ukraine. We certainly condemn any invasion and
any attack against the sovereignty of a country. The solution, however, is not to
maintain or rekindle a fire, but to help put it out and support the innocent victims
via humanitarian aid and diplomacy.
The Greek government, without considering the negative consequences for the
Ukrainian people or the possible consequences for Greece, rushed to send
weapons and, thus, perpetuate the killing.
The civilians of Ukraine are undoubtedly the victims of the aggression. But so are
the civilians of Cyprus, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia, etc. People bleed the
same way in Europe, Asia, Africa or anywhere else. The aggressors may be
different, but the victims are the same everywhere.
From the outset, and rightly so, the Western powers were sensitized to defend
Ukraine's sovereignty. Why, however, have they not shown the same sensitivity
for the barbaric invasion and division of Cyprus for 48 years? Is injustice and crime
against a people time-barred over the years?
Depriving people of water and electricity is inhumane. We all condemn it, and
rightly so. Why, then, is this torture tolerated by Western leaders in certain parts
of the world, e.g. against the Palestinian people by Israeli authorities?
We say yes to sanctions against invaders, any invaders, not selectively. The
victims of invasions are always the people, regardless of who the invader is.
We say no to sanctions against people, against culture or sports. It is ludicrous not
to listen to Tchaikovsky, because he was Russian or not to read the works of
Tolstoy or other authors, because they were Russians! Or to exclude athletes and,
especially athletes with disabilities, from competitions, because they are
Russians... This is wretched and absurd.
If such measures made any sense, then we should have stopped listening to
American music or attending sporting meetings of many Western states, as the
leaderships of those states have either invaded or instigated or provoked other
countries and forced people out of their homes. The tragic refugees of Ukraine
need the same assistance and treatment as those of any other country in the
world.
People bleed the same everywhere...