Alexander Statue Arrives in Skopje To Mixed Reviews

The bronze equestrian statue of the ancient warrior king, which will be some 24 metres high upon erection, arrived in the capital's main square in parts.

But while bystanders gazed with interest, not all Macedonians voiced enthusiasm about this very substantial addition to the city's landscape.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski "has worsened Macedonia's record poverty levels with yet another megalomaniacal statue that is costing citizens an unbelievable 10 million euros,” Kalinka Sentic Gaber, from the opposition Social Democrats, said on Tuesday.

The statue will “additionally complicate the already damaged international position of the country”, she added.

Gruevski's centre-right government, which is funding the erection of the statue, has been secretive about the total cost of the statue and the big fountain that will serve as a base.

The controversial statue is the hub of a massive government-funded revamp of the capital, dubbed “Skopje 2014”, which the government says will dignify the shabby-looking city.

But erecting a monument to Alexander, whom Greeks claim as their own hero, has potential political implications for relations with Athens, already strained by the two-decade-long row over Macedonia's name, which Greece objects to.

So far, the Greek liaison office in Skopje has not issued any official reaction to the arrival of the statue. The online edition of the Greek newspaper, Proto Tema, has called the statue “absurd”, however.

“While unemployment in the country is on the rise and an economic crisis is on the doorsteps of the people, the prime minister of the country has decided to erect monuments, seeking his myth of 'Macedonia'” the newspaper said.

Athens says use of the name "Macedonia" implies a territorial claim to the northern Greek province, also called Macedonia. In 2008 Greece blocked the country’s accession to NATO over the unresolved row and it has done the same to the start of Macedonia's EU accession talks.

The origins and identity of Alexander the Great are at the heart of the dispute, as the two neighbouring nations have different views on Ancient history and both lay claim to the warrior king and his legacy.

The Macedonian government has so far officially described the sculpture simply as an equestrian warrior, not mentioning that the warrior in question is Alexander the Great.

One of the first to arrive in the main square after news spread that part of the giant statue had arrived was the Dutch ambassador, Simone Filippini.

“Macedonians should judge it," he said. "It is not for me to say what is good or bad here. I just see that it is going to happen now, and that it is going to be big.

“You have seen already te reactions from Greece and I think it is up to the Macedonian people to decide what they feel about this,” she added, asked whether she expected an adverse reaction from Greece.

The statue of Alexander in Skopje is the third that will be erected in Macedonia. Two others, in the towns of Prilep and Stip, are considerably smaller.

The erection of the statue comes just one week after the June 5 general election in whichGruevski’s conservative VMRO-DPMNE party won another four-year term.