In an effort to attain a closer and more harmonious relationship with Greece, Zoran Zaev, the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), officially announced today (February 7, 2018) the name change of Skopje's "Alexander the Great" airport to "Skopje International Airport" and of the "Alexander of Macedon" highway to "Boulevard of Friendship," according to the To Vima (Greek) website.
At the same time, Zaev announced he will soon accept a composite name with a geographic marker for FYROM. Most Greeks are opposed to the FYROM name because the country borders a province in northern Greece by the name of Macedonia. Greeks are also happy that FYROM removed Alexander the Great's name from an airport and highway, because doing so indicates it now tends to accept Alexander's heritage as a Greek, rather than a Slav.
"We salute today's decision by the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to rename the Skopje airport as "Skopje International Airport," and to rename the highway that links Skopje with the Greek border to "Friendship Highway," the Greek foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Today's decision is a positive step towards reversing all that occurred in the last decade... We hope that it signals the beginning of a new chapter in the relations between our two countries and peoples," the statement added.
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