Prime Minister Zoran Zaev decided to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Goce Delcev, the most celebrated VMRO leader and fighter for an independent Macedonia, together with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Boriusov in Sofia.

The decision comes as commissions members from the two countries dispute the national background of many leading Macedonian historic figures, under the clause of the agreement Macedonia nad Bulgaria signed that provides for changes to the history books and demands a joint understanding and teaching of history.

Zaev will lead a small Government delegation, including Culture Minister asaf Ademi and his culture coordinator Robert Alagozovski. They will visit Delcev’s monument in Tsar Boris’ Garden in Sofia. The hero was killed in the village of Banica, near Strumica. His mortal remains were kept in Bulgaria, and in 1946 they were delivered to Macedonia, for burial in the St. Spas church in Skopje, to honor Delcev’s wish to lay in the capital of independent Macedonia.

Bulgarian politicians insist that Goce Delcev was Bulgarian, just as all Macedonians are in fact Bulgarians. A joint expert Committee of experts is set up to propose changes to history books in both countries, and the two Governments will have to police speech to avoid “unfriendly” comments. As Bulgaria is member of EU and NATO, it is expected that it will have the upper hand during the implementation of the agreement, and will be able to demand changes from Macedonia.