Skopje, 4 February 2026 (MIA) – Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Wednesday laid wreaths in St. Spas church’s yard where the central event marking the 154th anniversary of the birth of Macedonian revolutionary Goce Delchev took place. He urged Delchev’s legacy to be observed and remembered and “let us be an example of how to keep building our common homeland Macedonia.”

“Today marks the birthday of the Macedonian great Goce Delchev, a man who had left an indelible mark, and today we remember his legacy he left to the Macedonian people, for Macedonia as a country and for all citizens in general. His fight for an independent Macedonian state in the heart of the Balkans is an epic one. Unfortunately, he had died young, aged only 31,” Mickoski told reporters.

Yet again, he stated, let us remember him and his legacy, celebrate him all the while serving as an example of how we should continue building our common homeland Macedonia.

In addition to Mickoski, wreaths were laid by a number of delegations, including Parliament delegation, led by vice president Vesna Bendevska, and a City of Skopje delegation, led by Mayor Orce Gjorgjievski.

Goce Delchev was born to Sultana and Nikola Delchev in Kukush (Kilkis) on Feb. 4, 1872. After attending the Thessaloniki High School, he graduated from the Sofia Military Academy.

Delchev worked as a schoolmaster in Shtip. He was also a member of the Central Committee of the Secret Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, founding a network of bases, committees, and rebel bands.

He participated in the 1896 Thessaloniki Congress of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization and served as its foreign representative in Sofia until 1901.

On May 4, 1903, Delchev was killed by the Turkish army in the village of Banica, on his way to Serres.

His remains were transferred to the St. Spas church in Skopje in 1946.

Photo/video: MIA