Developments in Macedonia's Domestic and Foreign Policy from Gruevski to Zaev

Ever since Macedonia’s declaration of independence in 1991, the most important domestic policy issue of the country is the Macedonian- Albanian inter-ethnic conflict; whereas, it’s most significant foreign policy issue is Greece’s rejection of the country’s constitutional name. The aim of this study is to compare the approaches of Nikola Gruevski, the nationalist-conservative leader of The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) who ruled the country as prime minister between 2006-2016 and the period of Zoran Zaev the social democrat leader of Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) who took office on 31 May 2017, concerning the foregoing issues reaching the present day. The study suggests that Macedonia, which has taken opposite steps to the nationalism winds in Europe under the rule of Zaev, will set an example for other Western Balkan countries that face similar problems by showing that even the most rooted domestic and foreign policy problems can be resolved when a solution-oriented political will is displayed. In this process, the support of the European Union to the region will be particularly important