A new concept is being introduced to mark the Ilinden holiday which changes a decade-long tradition – this year President Stevo Pendarovski will not give a speech at the celebration event on Meckin Kamen, and for the first time, the time of the event will be changed to 6 pm, so instead of afternoon speeches, a concert will be organized in the evening.

According to VMRO-DPMNE, this is a shameful and non-statehood move, and Pendarovski’s idea is unacceptable for the party leader, Hristijan Mickoski.

He will remain faithful to the tradition, so tomorrow he will attend an event in Struga’s Tasmarunista and from there, like last year, he will send a message.

According to Pendarovski, an invitation was sent to both VMRO-DPMNE and Mickoski, but so far only the presence of a VMRO-DPMNE delegation has been confirmed.

The state and national Ilinden holiday is a symbol of the Macedonian struggle for an independent and sovereign state.