Commentary/Erhan Türbedar: "Skopje 2014: The Awakening of the Macedonian Identity" TEPAV Policy Analyst wrote about the Skopje 2014 Project in Macedonia and the public's perception.

The commentary assessed:

"The Macedonian government continues its efforts to give the center of capital city Skopje a new face, through the Skopje 2014 Project. By means of the project, the government is trying to give central Skopje an ancient appearance, with the construction of new buildings, marble statues and renovation of the old structures. The most striking of the statues is that of Alexander the Great, set to be officially inaugurated in September 2011. Although the government makes no mention of the cost of the Skopje 2014 project, the bill is estimated between 200-500 million Euros. Some object to the excessive spending on statues in the country, plagued by a 33 percent unemployment rate and where one third of people live under the poverty line. Whereas, minorities living in the country are uneasy about the investments being made reflecting the Macedonian and Orthodox Christian culture alone. Believing Alexander the Great to be a part of their history, Greeks find Skopje 2014 project provocative."

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