United Macedonian Diaspora - Lobbying

Lobbying

The United Macedonian Diaspora states its main goals are to "foster unity among Macedonian people and to advance their cause", but it also lobbies for the Republic of Macedonia in the Macedonia naming dispute. The UMD is active in a "global cultural war" against Greece in which they "seek to gain recognition for the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name" (which Greece objects to), and to "secure full human rights for Macedonian minorities in Greece and other Balkan countries".

The UMD operates as a tax-exempt, international non-profit organization in the U.S under Law 501 C3, which prohibits lobbying within the U.S to those who are authorised to run non-profit organisations. Those who intend to lobby professionally, have to proceed with the establishment of such bodies, under even stricter financial control, such as the IRS. However, Metodija Koloski and the UMD lobby inside and outside the U.S., an action which constitutes a conflict of interest. Metodija A. Koloski, the president of UMD, has been operating as an agent for the Turkish government since 2008 through DLA Piper which is officially lobbying for Turkey. Koloski is a contributor to the Turkish Coalition USA PAC, a project of the Turkish Coalition of America, which provided UMD a challenge matching grant in the sum of $150,000.

According to U.S. Law, foreign agents as well as non-profit organisations are not allowed to lobby within the U.S. in favour of foreign countries/principals without disclosing to the U.S. Congress that they are not representing the interests of U.S citizens. The UMD is not, by its own by-laws, a U.S. organization representing the interests of U.S. citizens. However, Koloski, a registered Foreign Agent and the UMD, an international non-profit organization representing the interests of Macedonians all over the world, created a Macedonian Caucus with the help of a US Congresswoman Rep Candice Miller.