Artifacts Could Boost Macedonia's 'Name' Position

“Unfortunately, Greece negotiates with the argument of power”, the PM said.

Gruevski attended the presentation of some 10,000 freshly excavated artifacts at the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje. They were found during 2009 in a massive state-funded archeological campaign across the country.

Asked whether Sunday's exhibition was an attempt to revive the so called 'antiqueisation' process which started several years ago as the state attempted to link the heritage of the Macedonians with the period of antiquity, the PM insisted that this was not the case.

“Future generations will laugh at the fact that someone today is trying hard to divide people into ancient and Slavic Macedonians”, he said arguing that all eras are equally part of the Macedonian identity.

Since the centre-right VMRO DPMNE party came to power in 2006, Skopje has intensified the process of renaming roads, sporting arenas and airports after the ancient warrior king, Alexander the Great and his father Philip of Macedon. Alongside the name Macedonia, their origin,, is also a matter of dispute between Athens and Skopje.

Macedonia’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats, SDSM, previously argued that by promoting the antique period, the government not only deters the country from reaching a key 'name' agreement with Greece but also creates an identity crisis at home.

In 2008 Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO entry, arguing that its formal name, Republic of Macedonia, must first be changed. Athens said that it's use reflected Skopje’s territorial claims towards Greece’s own northern province, also called Macedonia.

This month Athens prevented the EU states from extending a start date for Skopje’s EU accession talks. The decision was delayed for later next year, provided that the two neighbors can agree on a compromise solution.

The UN mediator in the dispute, Matthew Nimetz has not set a date for a fresh round of talks, something local media saw as a sign that no substantial breakthrough in the 18 year long dispute can be expected soon.

In 2009, the Government set aside some €3 million to finance a number of archaeological projects. Excavations will resume in 2010 with the same intensity, Gruevski said.