Macedonia today marks 119 years since the death of its great national leader Goce Delcev. One of the main organizers of VMRO, Delcev fought to liberate Macedonia from Ottoman rule and to establish a Macedonian state. He was killed by Turkish soldiers in a battle near the village of Banica in 1903, shortly before the Ilinden Uprising.

The anniversary comes at a difficult moment, as Bulgaria and Macedonia are locked in a historic dispute. Bulgaria is blocking Macedonia from opening its EU accession talks, as it demands that we agree to the Bulgarian historic narrative. According to it, Delcev was a Bulgarian hero and the Macedonians, at the time, were all Bulgarians.

Top Bulgarian Government officials are expected to organize a major event on Delcev in Sofia today, to further promote their reading of history, as they try to impose it on Macedonia.