The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said on February 25 that if Macedonia continues to implement the needed reforms it will receive a recommendation to launch EU accession talks within a few months.

Juncker arrived in Macedonia at the beginning of his Western Balkans tour, during which he will also visit Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Juncker said that Macedonia is not only part of Europe geographically, but also historically. He also stated he was positively surprised by the reforms implemented so far by the Macedonian authorities.

During his visit to Skopje he met Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and President Gjorge Ivanov.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Juncker, Zaev said “we strongly believe that the decision for the launch of the accession talks will be taken in June,” according to the government statement.

The Macedonian prime minister reiterated that the government is committed to solving the name dispute with Greece. In a sign of goodwill, the government recently renamed the capital’s airport Alexander the Great into International Airport Skopje. The removal of the letters "Alexander the Great" from the terminal began on February 24. The motorway that leads to Greece, also called Alexander the Great, will be renamed Friendship.

“Macedonia is focused on building bridges of cooperation and dialogue based on mutual respect,” Zaev said. He reiterated that a geographical qualifier is acceptable for Macedonia.

Macedonia has been involved in a dispute with Greece for more than two decades as Athens objects to the use of the name Macedonia as it has a province with the same name. The spat has blocked Macedonia’s bid to join Nato and EU.

However, as negotiations between the two countries are progressing, the chances of finding a solution seem very close.