North Macedonia and Bulgaria on Saturday marked 122 years since the death of Goce Delchev, a revolutionary and one of the most influential leaders of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO), who was killed on May 4, 1903, in a clash with Ottoman forces near the village of Banitsa, in present-day Greece.
In Skopje, a state delegation led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski, and Education and Science Minister Vesna Janevska laid fresh flowers at Delchev’s grave at the “Sveti Spas” Church, where commemorative events are regularly held in his honor.
Later in the day, the “Goce Delchev” State Award for 2025 was presented in the Macedonian Parliament for outstanding achievements in science, with a speech delivered by Minister Janevska.
In Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, respects were paid to Delchev with a wreath-laying ceremony at his monument, while in the town of Goce Delchev, the commemoration began with a memorial service at the “Saints Cyril and Methodius” Church, officiated by Metropolitan Serafim of Nevrokop, followed by a ceremony at the central square.
Goce Delchev, born on February 4, 1872, in Kukush — now Kilkis in Greece — remains a key historical figure in the Macedonian national identity. He was educated in Thessaloniki and Sofia, worked as a teacher in Shtip, and later became a member of the Central Committee of TMORO. Until 1901, he served as the organization’s external representative in Sofia.
After his death, Delchev’s remains were transferred across several locations before being finally laid to rest in Skopje in 1946, in accordance with his wish to rest in a free Macedonia.
Despite the 2017 friendship treaty between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, which envisions joint commemorations of historical figures, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported that no official invitation was extended to the Bulgarian side this year to attend the anniversary of Delchev’s death.
