Skopje, 23 October 2025 (MIA) - Every nation was born out of fight, out of myriad of sacrifices and strong faith and yearning for its freedom. Although small in number, our nation probably has the most vivid struggle for freedom that teaches us that nothing is impossible and that the fight for freedom is a thorny road, mapped with blood and suffering, a great and long series of uprisings, of human stories of courage, wisdom and also of treason, conspiracies and fights as well as infights, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Thursday addressing a formal academy marking Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle Day – October 23.

“The organization was born on this day that had been involved in all unrests and uprisings after its establishment that walked alongside Macedonia throughout its creation. This dream of freedom, the mother of the fight of our people – VMRO – belongs to everyone that respects our fight, in whose heart the word Macedonia burns. On October 23, 1893, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization was formed – an idea that outlived its era, people and all the borders,” stressed Mickoski.

From that modest room with only a few hands and a lot of hearts, Mickoski said, the great story for the Macedonian fight began and those young revolutionaries weren’t generals or rulers, they were ordinary people who had embarked on something larger than life – to give the homeland a future.

“With a quill, a word and an oath, they created the organization that would become the symbol of disobedience, self-sacrifice and the eternal pursuit of freedom. The spark in Thessaloniki ignited the fire of Ilinden, enhanced the spirit of Krushevo, statehood was born in ASNOM, the modern history of the Macedonian people was written,” the prime minister said in his October 23 address.

Every time we’d faced with dark times, when it’d seemed that Macedonia would be erased, he said, it was VMRO’s spirit that had protected the name, faith and dignity of this people.

“Therefore, October 23 is not only a date – it’s a pledge. A pledge that Macedonia will never be someone else’s thought, that it will be an eternal motivation for freedom, justice and future. While we’re celebrating this day, bowing before not only the courage but also the idea of the original fighters – let us be the worthy heirs of their dream,” Mickoski said.

According to him, October 23 is a call to us to be worthy of those who gave us freedom and to protect Macedonia with the same determination it had been created.

“VMRO is a thought that never dies – because it is born out of love toward freedom and freedom is eternal. VMRO’s power never lied in arms, it lied in the idea that justice is stronger than fear. The proof of this iron will and sacrifice isn’t written in books only, you can see them under the oaks in Mechkin Kamen, in the streets of Krushevo, through the famous battles and uprisings of our people. This is why Macedonia should be protected, because thousands of lives were sacrificed for its freedom. This is our pledge,” Mickoski said.

Nowadays, he added, we’re facing different challenges that are of equal importance for the future of our country and nation.

“As prime minister, I’m aware of every one and one of the most crucial is the fight for better living standards. This is something the people want and need. The fight for the European Union should be seen through the longing for better life and standards because our goal, despite all the blows and obstacles, remains the path we want to complete. This path is our birth right although the concessions we’d made weren’t fair. The people accepted them with a feeling of disappointment. It’s not one or two, it slowly becomes an unprincipled way of behaviour,” concluded PM Mickoski in his address at the October 23 formal academy in Skopje.

Photo: MIA