During the first months of arriving to service, I wondered
to myself, “How far away is Syria from Macedonia?” Obviously, both countries were once part of
the Ottoman Empire, but mountains, seas, and national borders made the two
countries seem worlds apart. To get a
better sense of the distance, I did a Google Map measurement based on the fastest route by driving and
discovered that the distance between Skopje and Damascus is roughly the same as
the distance between Chicago and Miami.
For most of my service, Macedonia was not much involved with
the conflict in Syria. However, much of
that changed once refugees started fleeing towards Europe. As many who keep up with the news know, the
stem of refugees increased over the past year, likely due to many reasons. The civil war in Libya intensified, ISIS
added to the threats in Syria, and countries like Italy and Greece attempted to
minimize the flow of refugees to their shores by turning away boats or
destroying barges at bay in Libya. Thus,
many refugees are finding alternative routes to Europe, through places like
Turkey, Bulgaria, and now Macedonia.
For many of these refugees, Germany or the Scandinavian
countries are their final destination.
Not only do they seek shelter from a war-torn country, but they also
hope for economic prosperity in a prospering capitalistic democracy. As this news article
shows, even after leaving Syria and arriving at the border of Macedonia,
refugees face the threat of mafia robbing them of their only assets and police
detaining or deporting them.
However, this article lacks a clear account of what the
refugees may have gone through while traveling through Macedonia, most likely
because the government and people in this country have done many things to make
the refugees’ transition through less daunting.
Until recently, many migrants snuck through Macedonia by walking along
the train tracks, which run along the Vardar river north toward Skopje and
Kumanovo. However, in the past few
years, many travelers had died along that route. So a new route had emerged that is much safer
for these refugees: biking
along the highways toward Kumanovo.
As this article describes, refugees are allowed by the
Macedonian government to flee through the country on bicycles. Some locals are taking advantage of this
method by selling bicycles at exorbitant prices to these refugees. However, a few NGOs, including Red Cross in
Negotino, are aiding the refugees by donating un-used bicycles, food, water,
and other supplies. Some of the campers
who will be attending our YMLP camp are supporting such projects in their town.
However, recently Macedonia’s politicians passed a law that
allows migrants to stay in Macedonia for up to 72 hours, before they are
deported or seek asylum. This law
permits them to use public transportation, including buses and trains, so many
of these migrants no longer need to bike or walk across the country. Traveling to Skopje a few weeks ago, I was
surprised to see so many bikers along the highway. My last trip to Skopje, just this past
weekend for the MUN conference, had fewer migrants, so it seems that the law is
working.
Overall, the Macedonian government’s response to the
migrants and the people’s reaction to them is very commendable. As far as I know, not many other countries in
Europe treat the migrants with such dignity.
Of course, Macedonia’s stance on these migrants is not completely
selfless- Macedonia knows that none of the migrants want to stay in Macedonia,
but are heading for Central or Western Europe.
However, Macedonia makes part of the journey easier and much safer for a
group of people who are simply seeking for a future and chance to live. Many Macedonian youth have expressed to me
their interest in leaving Macedonia to find a better future in Western
countries. It is nice to know that many
Macedonians have empathy for those also seeking a different life abroad. This hospitality compares to Hungary’s
response, which has contemplated in building a 110-mile fence along the border
with Serbia.
To get a sense of the tide of refugees from Syria and the
overall EU response, take a look at this website’s depiction.
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