Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced that the FYROM’s Alexander the Great airport will be re-named to help end a 27-year long feud with Greece.
After talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the Davos economic summit Zaev took the decision to rebrand the Skopje airport to show the strong commitment of finding a solution.
The dispute has been running since Greece objected to the FYROM, a former province of Yugoslavia, gaining independence in 1991.
Macedonia is also the name of an historic adjacent region in Greece and much of the animosity was rooted in the name.
The objection to the use of the term “Macedonian” for the people and language of the neighbouring country occurred as Millions of Greeks from the northern province identified themselves as Macedonians.
Appropriating symbol and figures that were historically considered a part of the Greek culture had been accused of the Republic of Macedonia like the Alexander the Great.
Mr Zaev said that the north-south Alexander the Great motorway ending at the Greek border will be renamed “Friendship Highway” while a date for the renaming of the airport was yet to be decided.
The airport rename could be a major step in improving relations between the two said a Skopje diplomat.
After the protest in January by 90,000 Greeks in Thessaloniki – capital of the Macedonia region in Greece against the use of the name ‘Macedonia’ by the adjoining nation the decision took place.
