Bulgarian village trying to secede and join Greece

[Swazi Spring]

All hail the Fourth Great and Broke Greek Empire!

The village of Tsrancha is located in the Rhodoppe mountains close to the Bulgarian-Greek border and has mostly Muslim population. Photo by sbj-bg.eu

Residents of the Bulgarian village of Tsrancha, located very close to the Greek border, wish to secede and become administratively and economically part of Greece.

The Greek Kathimerini reports from the village, citing locals highly praising Greece.

The 680 residents of the village, outraged by the unfair rule of the central power in Sofia, have decide unanimously to write to Greek authorities and the Greek Embassy in Sofia to ask to join Greece.

The publication notes that they grow tobacco, are Muslim, and have close ties with Greece. Younger residents are fleeing to Greece, Great Britain, and the Netherlands, while the older ones remember with nostalgia the rule of Communist Dictator, Todor Zhivkov, with industrial production in the region, work, retirement pensions and medical care for everyone.

"In Greece, land and farmers are respected; in Bulgaria only crooks are veneered," one local is quoted saying before the Bulgarian 24 Chassa (24 Hours) daily, which also reports on the story.

The villagers have established an initiative committee asking to reinstate their ownership of the lands, which they have failed to achieve in the last 20 plus years. The Committee is led by former Deputy Social Policy and Labor Minister in the previous Three-Way Coalition Cabinet, Vassil Voynov.

People from Tsrancha say they own lands but cannot afford to pay the fees to get them back, adding they are in the absurd situation of "having to purchase land from their grandfathers."

In addition to the land issue, locals blame the Bulgarian State for not asphalting for decades the 7-km road to the nearby village of Vaklinovo, forcing them to make a 50-km detour. They also consider a blockade of the Ilinden-Exochi road and a hunger strike before the Council of Ministers building in the capital Sofia.

Kathimerini further comments that with their request to join Greece, the Bulgarian villagers have achieved international glory since leading agencies reported on the news and even sent crews to Tsrancha.

Residents say they know their demand is unfeasible, but wanted to be heard. Their letter has reached the Prime Minister and the President of Bulgaria.

Just days ago, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, declared in 4-5 years the average Bulgarian will be richer than the average Greek.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=145260

I'm not sure just how "poorly" Muslims in Bulgaria are treated, but surely it can't be that much better in Greece, especially if Golden Dawn continues to grow. Never mind the fact that Greece is in shambles. How do you think this will play out? Do you think the Bulgarian government allow the village to secede if the majority of the villagers support it?

 

[Sky Green]

Well... I'm not sure which economy is worse, the Greek or the Bulgarian, that's why I voted no. And one more thing, if they don't want to live in Bulgaria they could just leave and live in Greece.

 

[PyroKnight]

Fuck both countries!

 

[Lordkoon]

Well... I'm not sure which economy is worse, the Greek or the Bulgarian, that's why I voted no. And one more thing, if they don't want to live in Bulgaria they could just leave and live in Greece.

According to world renowned economists from Fitch and Standart and Poors , the bulgarian economy is right now 5 points above the greek.

To the author, no the government will not allow this to happen. Those villagers wish such thing because of the recent tobacco enforced law being changed and their profits reduced to rubble. However they do not have the paperwork needed to prove that any of the land is theirs, and yes the government stripped millions from their land properties after the rule of Zhivkov, they should get over it after 20 years.
The fees are huge for everyone, yet still affordable and also dealt with according to region.

I am from Bulgaria and just recently discussed this topic with our economy professor and he agrees. They will have to find some sort of solution but it is silly to think that just because villagers dislike their country, the government can give it to some other country like adopting a child. Doesn't work that way.

 

[Nuclear]

Not gonna happen.

 

[morbent]

It's better to live in Greece.

Really. Cuz you get paid better. And "I'm not sure which economy is worse, the Greek or the Bulgarian" is my opinion too.

 

[trolman]

If they pull it off then I'll become a south romanian.

 

[NhazUl]

Oh well, I can imagine two reasons for such a scenario:
1. The gov't sent someone to provoke the villagers so that another diplomatic issue arises for our almighty divine Prime Minister - Emperor to solve just before the next elections.
2. The villagers are really that dumb and sincerely believe they will fit better in Greece's social, ethnic and economic environment than here (given the economic crisis and, as I hear, raging nationalism, correct me if I'm wrong).

Either way I believe that no drastic changes such as secession will occur. Unless, of course, the Turkish party decides to incite greater turmoil. They have been laying low as of late, and there were some problems recently about preaching radical Islam in a southern Bulgarian town. Meybe these things are related. Maybe it's just me.

Oh, a third possible reason: Tsrancha is notorious for frequent lightning strikes on the houses there. Maybe all the people just went wacko because of being electrified too many times.

 

[DESTROYER123]

As a Greek I can asure you that greek economy sucks balls.
In the greek villages that are borders with Bulgaria, villagers travel to Bulgaria to fuel their cars because fuel prices in Bulgaria are much better than Greece and greek people have no money for such prices.

 

[Statharas]

I can pretty much assure you that the economy varies from region to region. Those people will actually find more benefits being a part of Greece, despite the fact that our economy is poor in general.

 

[gorillabull]

they should want to join the ottoman empire i mean turkey, then it could be like the bad old days

 

[Valenvai]

All hail the Fourth Great and Broke Greek Empire!

Since when internal politics in Bulgaria become an imperialism plan in Greece?

 

[MortAr]

WTF, I live in Bulgaria and I hear about this now???

 

[Statharas]

We will conquer you, village by village!

 

[NhazUl]

You're welcome, if you have the balls to rule people that don't know what they want (and are lazy as shit and complain the whole time).

 

[Lordkoon]

I can pretty much assure you that the economy varies from region to region. Those people will actually find more benefits being a part of Greece, despite the fact that our economy is poor in general.

I find that hard to believe as in the past 3 years over 2 000 greek companies registered a bulgarian region for their main establishment thus providing the fixed VAT to Bulgaria and this way saving from the Greek VAT(which if it was not changed since 2010 must still be around 23%, compared to the 10% in Bulgaria). Unfortunate for Greece that during a crysis the business tends to leave the ship (even though that's the only way to survive on an economical point of view), than provide the country with the money they generally own to it.

It is a fact that untill 2009 summer , the greek small and medium businesses were not forced by the government to use reciept terminals - that way covering millions of millions of taxes per year.

Also for investors Greece is currently unattractive due to the diminished rating in all 3 world renowned credit agencies (something that EVERYONE looks at when investing in other countries)
Currently Bulgaria is BBB rate while Greece is B- which puts us 14 positions above greek economy.

I wish the best of luck to Greece but synopsis is the country will go up the ladder in the next 10 years or so.