FYROM prepares to remove statutes of Alexander The Great

According to media reports, the government of FYROM is considering  removing monuments from its capital in an effort to improve bilateral relations with Greece.

The move comes as the country has also agreed to rename their national airport, which is currently named "Alexander the Great Airport."

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who will make the final decision on the statues’ removal, has already spoken in favour of renaming Skopje’s Alexander the Great Airport in a bid to calm tensions with Athens.

International media had named FYROM’s capital Skopje as the most kitsch city in the world, after former Prime Minister Gruevski turned it into something of a bizarre theme-park with statues of historical figures from countries other than his own.

It was part of a cultural appropriation strategy by the nationalist Gruevski which in turn created tensions with Greece.

What made matters worse this mish-mash of all manner of architectural styles and appropriated history cost the people of FYROM close to 700 million dollars.

According to reports, the country’s Culture Ministry has created a shortlist of monuments for removal which include Alexander the Great and Mother Teresa which FYROM also claimed, even though she was Albanian.

FYROM's new socialist government under Zaev is seen by many as a more reasonable negotiating partner for Greece and one who is more open to compromise in an effort to ensure his country gains NATO and EU membership.