North Macedonia and neighbouring Bulgaria on Tuesday marked the 154th anniversary of the birth of revolutionary Goce Delchev, a historical figure revered in both countries but also at the centre of long-running disputes over identity and history that have stalled Skopje’s European Union accession process.
In Skopje, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Delchev had left an “indelible mark” on Macedonian history and described his struggle for an independent Macedonian state as “epic”, urging citizens to draw inspiration from his legacy.
“His fight for an independent Macedonian state, a state in the heart of the Balkans, was epic. Sadly, he lost his life too early, at the age of 31, but he laid down his life for the ideals of the Macedonian state,” Mickoski said, calling for unity in building what he described as a shared homeland.
Opposition Social Democratic Union (SDSM) leader Venko Filipce said Delchev’s legacy was a reminder that the country must be built on “courage, solidarity, and togetherness”. In a social media post, Filipce cited Delchev’s well-known message that the world should be seen as “a field for cultural competition among nations”, saying it remained a call for North Macedonia to move towards a modern, prosperous, and European future.
“At a time when the state is once again facing serious challenges, we must not allow national interests to become hostages of day-to-day politics,” Filipce said, adding that Delchev’s legacy should be continued through building a democratic, just, and economically strong state where young people can see a future.
Delchev, born on Feb. 4, 1872 in Kukush, now Kilkis in northern Greece, was one of the leading figures of the late 19th and early 20th century revolutionary movement in the Ottoman-ruled Balkans. He was among the key organisers of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organisation (IMARO/VMORO), which sought autonomy and later independence for Macedonia and the Adrianople region.
He was educated in Thessaloniki and Sofia and worked as a teacher in the town of Shtip before devoting himself to building underground revolutionary networks. Delchev was killed in 1903, months before the Ilinden uprising, at the age of 31. In North Macedonia, he is widely regarded as one of the country’s greatest national heroes and is often referred to as the “apostle of revolutionary Macedonia”.
Across the border in Bulgaria, the town of Gotse Delchev in the country’s southwest also launched commemorations of the anniversary with a theatrical performance titled “Ilinden” by the Boris Lukanov Drama Theatre from Lovech, according to the Bulgarian News Agency BTA. The event is part of the municipality’s official programme and is open to the public.
Later on Tuesday, local authorities said flowers and wreaths would be laid at Delchev’s monument in the town’s central square, with representatives of local government, state institutions, political parties, non-governmental organisations, and schools expected to attend.
The town, known as Nevrokop until 1950, was renamed Gotse Delchev in honour of the revolutionary. The region hosts two major monuments dedicated to him: a central statue unveiled in 1983 depicting Delchev as an educator and thinker, and another monument in the mountainous area of Popovi Livadi, about 15 km west of the town, unveiled in 2003, portraying him as a revolutionary commander.
In Bulgaria, Delchev is regarded as a national hero and a revolutionary apostle of VMORO. In North Macedonia, he is also commemorated as a key figure of the national liberation movement. However, the two countries hold sharply different interpretations of his ethnic identity and historical role — a dispute that has repeatedly strained diplomatic relations.
The disagreement forms part of a broader set of unresolved historical and linguistic issues that led Bulgaria to block North Macedonia’s EU accession talks in 2020, despite Skopje having resolved a separate long-running name dispute with Greece in 2018.
Sofia and Skopje signed a bilateral Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation in 2017, committing to joint historical commissions and closer cooperation. However, progress has been slow and politically sensitive, with disputes over historical narratives, school textbooks, and commemorations continuing to generate tensions.
In 2022, North Macedonia accepted a French-brokered proposal aimed at unblocking the accession process. The framework requires Skopje to amend its constitution to include Bulgarians as a recognised minority and to implement commitments related to bilateral relations and historical dialogue. While the agreement allowed accession talks to formally begin, the constitutional changes have not yet been adopted, effectively stalling substantive progress.
Officials in Skopje say the issue remains politically divisive, while Bulgaria insists the conditions must be fully implemented before further steps in the EU negotiation process.
The anniversary commemorations come as both governments publicly reaffirm commitments to dialogue and European integration, but persistent disagreements over identity, history, and minority rights continue to complicate efforts to normalise relations and advance North Macedonia’s path toward EU membership.