A video showing the newly elected President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani referring to FYROM as “Macedonia”, has caused a backlash in Greece. The Italian politician went a step further by dubbing the citizens of FYROM descendants of Alexander the Great during a visit in the country’s capital Skopje, in February in his capacity as European Commissioner. EP Vice President Dimitris Papadimoulis said Tajani had committed a historical and institutional impropriety, adding that he had to publicly rectify his mistake. The video of his statements prompted SYRIZA MEP Kostas Chrysogonos to call the new EP President “unhistorical” and “naive”. In the video, released by Ant-1 News, Mr. Tajani can be seen saying that Alexander the Great and his father, Philip the Second were famous ancestors of you, addressing the crowd present. “Macedonia is a beautiful country. Everyone in Italy knows about Macedonia. Why? Because Alexander the Great is a very popular ancestor of yours”, Tajani said. New Democracy MEP Maria Spyraki tweeted: “The name of the country is FYROM. Macedonia, the place where Alexander and Philip were born are in Greece. Big mistake President”.
