A marathon talks session between Greek premier Alexis Tsipras and FYROM leader Zoran Zaev ended on an upbeat note on Wednesday, with a reported commitment by Skopje to rename its Alexander the Great international Airport and a major highway.
“To demonstrate, in practice, that we are committed to finding a solution, I am announcing that we will change the name of the airport and the highway,” Zaev said referring to a north-south highway also named for the Greek hero.
The pair met for well over two hours on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in an attempt to resolve the more-than-25-year naming dispute which has seen the former Yugoslav state barred from NATO and EU membership.
At a news conference, Tsipras said: “My deep conviction is that the Balkans have suffered greatly from nationalisms and tensions.”
However, he said the sides “must first deal with irredentism in all its forms and even with guarantees that we will not leave any window open to create similar challenges in the future”.
FYROM media are also reporting that UN mediator Matthew Nimetz will travel to Skopje for meetings with officials on Feb. 1, just three days before a major rally planned for Athens to protest against the use of the name ‘Macedonia’ by Greece’s northern neighbor.
Almost seven out of ten Greeks oppose the use of term ‘Macedonia’ by the former Yugoslav republic according to a recent poll.
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