Macedonia mulls Skopje Airport name change

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The Macedonian government is considering changing the name of Skopje Alexander the Great Airport following local elections, which are being held in the country this Sunday, according to the German daily "Frankfurter Algemaine Zeitung". The name has been a sticking point in relations between Macedonia and Greece, with the latter considering it provocative. According to the German newspaper, Alexander the Great is likely to be replaced by a geographical name. The Macedonian Foreign Minister, Nikola Dimitrov, told the newspaper that the antiquity policy of the previous government would be discontinued. The former Macedonian government renamed Skopje's airport after Alexander the Great in 2007, renewing a diplomatic spat with Greece at the time. Kavala Airport, in north-eastern Greece also carries the name Alexander the Great since 1992. This week, Greece's Aegean Airlines announced it would resume services between Athens and Skopje in 2018 after more than a decade.

Comments

  1. Skopje International sounds perfectly fine IMHO...

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  2. Now it makes sense why Aegean announced flights after avoiding SKP for so long :)

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  3. It has nothing to do with Aegean.. its more about the NATO entry

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    1. I didn't say they would change the name because of Aegean but that it probably had an influence on Aegean to start flights.

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    2. I know ;) (mentioned it just to avoid further comments)

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  5. This will certainly help.

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  6. Finally! Good news!

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  7. So proud of Macedonia is finally opening up. Improved relations with Greece and Bulgaria. This will only foster good results. We see flights from SKP-ATH, hopefully OHD-SOF, etc. Bravo MK!

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  8. Skopje International Airport could be a the choice.

    If they want a famous person from perhaps Mother Theresa? She's pretty well known, from the same city as the airport and (I think) would be fairly uncontroversial for the communities within Macedonia?

    I'm sure some would disagree, but I think wuld certainly cause less problems than the current name.

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    1. The airport in Tirana is already called after her

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    2. Toshe Proeski, Kiro Gligorov. Simon Trpcheski from the living. Mother Teresa is a good name.

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    3. Nënë Tereza actually :)

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    4. Anon 1:23

      Ah didn't realise that she was in use!

      Anon 1:27

      Good choices, Toshe obviously would be popular due to his music and tragic early death. I like Simon Trpcheski, wouldn't have occured to me mainly as he is alive!

      Kiro Gligorov I think would be most likely out of those 3.

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    5. Simon Trpchevski haha ne zaebavaj, Suzana Spasovska FTW!

      Kiro Gigorov is a realistic chance, Mother Theresa probably the most beautiful alternative.

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    6. And why not Esma Recepovic? lol
      Come on, guys! Get serious! Kiro Gligorov or Mother Teresa are the best choices, so far or just Skopje International Airport.

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    7. Lepa Brena Intl.Airport?

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    8. It doesn't have to be a person. It can also be a date for instance - Ilinden, August 2nd, September 8th, October 11th..

      Which reminds me - Happy October 11th, the day of the anti-fascist uprising!

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    9. Anon 3:05

      Very true! Ilinden would be a good one.

      Skopje ASNOM International - would be fitting for a country that loves abbreviations :P

      The unabbreviated version would look fairly awesome :)

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  9. SKG-Thessaloniki airpot is called Macedonia. If they have right to call it (simply they need to call South Macedonia airport, if they proclaim that Thessaloniki is a region of old Macedonia) , then why SKopje has to change the name of Alexander the Great airport? It seems, goverment is planning the change of airport name because of blackmailing by Greece.

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    1. you are right but lets say the airport name means nothing in comparison with a NATO membership... i think this is a part of a bigger package.

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    2. Totally agree, if the change of the airport has been done to placate Greece (as it seems likely), then what will be changed next.

      However, as others have pointed out, small price for NATO. But of course Greece will want more than an just airport name change.

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  10. Just restore the old name - Petrovac. Easy, straight-forward.

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  11. Smart, mature move. And unlike the name of the country, the airport name really was provocative. At any rate, Macedonia could've already been both in the NATO and the EU if not for the most ridiculous diplomatic spat I've ever heard of.
    Good luck!

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