>> Sreenivasan: THE NEWLY-NAMED

NORTH MACEDONIA IS ONE STEP

CLOSER TO BECOMING THE 30th

MEMBER OF NATO AFTER A

UNANIMOUS VOTE THIS WEEK BY

THEIR PARLIAMENT IN FAVOR OF

MEMBERSHIP.

THIS COMES AFTER A PROTRACTED

DISPUTE WITH GREECE OVER THE

COUNTRY'S PREVIOUS NAME AND

EVEN ITS ARCHITECTURE.

IT'S A POLITICAL CRISIS WHICH,

AS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT CHRISTOPHER

LIVESAY REPORTS, IS REFLECTED IN

THE SKYLINE OF THE CAPITAL CITY

OF SKOPJE.

( CHURCH BELLS RINGING )

>> Reporter: YOU MIGHT NOT

EXPECT BIG THINGS FROM THE

CAPITAL OF A LANDLOCKED BALKAN

COUNTRY THAT'S SMALLER THAN THE

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT

SKOPJE, NORTH MACEDONIA, MIGHT

SURPRISE YOU.

THERE ARE THE TYPICAL TOURIST

SITES LIKE THIS ANCIENT

FORTRESS, AND A SPRAWLING

OTTOMAN BAZAAR WHERE THE LOCAL

SPECIALTY, MACEDONIAN PEPPERS,

ARE SOLD BY THE BAG-FULL.

THESE PALE GREEN "ZELENI

PIPERKI" ARE ON THE HOT SIDE.

BUT WHAT REALLY MAKES SKOPJE

SPECIAL IS THIS.

AND THIS.

AND THESE.

HUNDREDS OF STATUES, AND

CLASSICAL-LOOKING BUT ACTUALLY

BRAND-NEW FACADES ON DOZENS OF

BUILDINGS IN THE CITY CENTER.

WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE SQUARE

HERE?

>> MACEDONIA.

>> Reporter: MACEDONIA SQUARE.

>> YES.

>> Reporter: NIKOLA SRBOV, A

HISTORIAN AND ADVISOR TO THE

STATE ARCHIVES, SAYS THIS WAS

ALL BUILT BY THE GOVERNMENT JUST

A FEW YEARS AGO, A PROJECT

CALLED "SKOPJE 2014."

THE IDEA WAS TO GIVE A FACELIFT

TO THIS FORMERLY COMMUNIST CITY,

BOOST NATIONAL PRIDE AND ATTRACT

TOURISTS, TOO.

>> ( translated ): IN A WAY, THE

CITY HAS GROWN INTO SOMETHING

MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN IT USED TO

BE.

>> Reporter: MUSEUMS AND

GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS BOAST

COLUMNS AND MARBLE LOOK-ALIKE

FACADES THAT ARE MEANT TO LOOK

HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD BUT ARE

LESS THAN TEN.

THERE'S ALSO A TRIUMPHAL ARCH

AND TWO NEW BRIDGES ACROSS THE

VARDA RIVER THAT HAVE ON THEM

ABOUT 30 STATUES EACH.

NOT EVERYONE HAS BEEN IMPRESSED.

THE "NEW YORK TIMES" CALLED THE

REMODELED CITY ONE OF THE

"KITSCHIEST" CAPITALS ON THE

PLANET.

TOURISTS WE MET SEEMED BEMUSED.

>> IT'’’S AMAZING.

WE NEVER-- WE'VE BEEN IN MORE

THAN 36 COUNTRIES.

WE'VE NEVER SEEN THIS NUMBER OF

STATUES EVERYWHERE.

>> SOMEBODY MENTIONED THAT THIS

MONUMENT, DISNEYLAND MONUMENTS.

>> Reporter: DISNEYLAND

MONUMENTS?

>> YES.

A LOT OF COMMENTS HAPPEN.

>> Reporter: ZORAN ZAEV IS THE

HEAD OF NORTH MACEDONIA'S RULING

PARTY.

HE WAS PRIME MINISTER UP UNTIL

RECENTLY.

HE RESIGNED LAST MONTH AFTER THE

COUNTRY FAILED TO WIN MEMBERSHIP

IN THE EUROPEAN UNION.

HE SAYS THE BUILDING PROJECT,

WHICH WAS LAUNCHED BY THE

COUNTRY'S PREVIOUS RIGHT-WING

NATIONALIST GOVERNMENT, IS

PARTLY TO BLAME FOR SETTING THE

COUNTRY BACK.

>> I DON'T WANT TO COMMENT THE

STYLE, BUT I ALWAYS COMMENT TO

SPEND ONE BILLION EURO.

>> Reporter: ONE BILLION EUROS?

>> YES, FOR THAT MONUMENTS AND

MUSEUMS IN THE CENTER OF OUR

CAPITAL, IT'’’S REALLY STUPID.

IT'S VERY WRONG FOR DEVELOPING

COUNTRY WHERE IS A LOT OF POOR

PEOPLE.

>> Reporter: IN FACT, WHILE

TOURISM NUMBERS ARE UP IN THE

LAST SEVERAL YEARS, IT'S STILL

A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE

COUNTRY'’’S ECONOMY.

THE AVERAGE NET INCOME HERE IS

ONLY ABOUT $450 A MONTH.

WHEN YOU WALK TO THE BACK OF THE

BUILDING, YOU SEE, WELL, IT'S

NOT EXACTLY WHAT IT SEEMS.

PEEKING BEHIND THE NEOCLASSICAL

FACADES GIVES A GLIMPSE OF THE

REALITY OF HOW PEOPLE LIVE.

INSULATION IN MOST APARTMENTS

AND HOMES IS SO BAD, HEATING CAN

COST UP TO HALF AN AVERAGE

SALARY.

IN JUST ONE HOUR SOUTH OF

SKOPJE, THE ISSUE ISN'T FAKE

FACADES.

>> CULTURAL HERITAGE TO ALL OF

US, AND IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING

THAT UNITES US, NOT DIVIDES US.

>> Reporter: ARCHEOLOGIST GOCE

PAVLOVSKI IS WORKING ON RESEARCH

AND PROTECTION OF THE ANCIENT

CITY OF STOBI.

HERE ARTIFACTS LIKE THESE CHURCH

MOSAICS DATE BACK TO 400 A.D.

>> THE GAMES WOULD START IN THE

MORNING.

>> Reporter: EVEN OLDER IS THIS

ROMAN THEATER.

AND OLDER STILL, RUINS OF

STRUCTURES DATING TO THE TIME OF

ALEXANDER THE GREAT.

FOR PAVLOVSKI, IT'S ALL PART OF

A BIGGER PICTURE.

ARCHAEOLOGY, HE SAYS, SHOWS HOW

PEOPLE IN THE REGION SHARE A

SINGLE HERITAGE.

MODERN BORDERS ARE A KIND OF

POLITICAL MIRAGE.

AND WHO GETS TO CLAIM THIS?

WHO GETS TO SAY, "THIS IS MY

HISTORY"?

>> HUMANITY.

I WOULD SAY HUMANITY.

YOU-- YOU DON'’’T CLAIM HISTORY.

HISTORY IS THERE.

HISTORY IS NOT THE PROPERTY OF

CERTAIN NATIONS.

IT'S THE PROPERTY OF THE

TERRITORY WHERE PEOPLE LIVE.

SO, THE RULERS CAN CHANGE, THE

COUNTRIES CAN CHANGE, THEIR

BORDERS CAN CHANGE, AND THE

HISTORY STAYS THERE.

>> Reporter: AS FOR ALL THE

STATUES IN SKOPJE, WELL, THEY'RE

SUBJECT TO HISTORY, TOO.

>> PART OF OUR CITIZENS ARE IN

FAVOR TO TAKE OUT THESE

MONUMENTS, TO TAKE IT OUT.

>> Reporter: IT'S THAT

CONTROVERSIAL.

>> TO PUT THEM IN OTHER PLACES.

AND THAT COST MONEY ALSO.

IT'S NOT EASIER TO DO-- TO DO

IT.

EVERY DOLLAR, EVERY DINAR FOR US

IS VERY PRECIOUS TO FIND

SOLUTIONS FOR EVERYDAY PROBLEMS.

EVERY MONEY, WHAT WE HAVE IT,

WE MUST PUT IN OUR HEALTH

SYSTEM, IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM,

NEW JOBS FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.

THAT IS THE HIGH DISCUSSION IN

OUR SOCIETY.

>> Reporter: ZAEV HOPES, IF

HIS PRO-WESTERN PARTY WINS IN

UPCOMING ELECTIONS THIS SPRING,

IT WILL HELP RENEW THE CHANCES

THE COUNTRY WILL BE ADMITTED TO

THE E.U.

BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS, HE SAYS,

IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BUILDING

MONUMENTS TO THE PAST.