Today, when we mark 117 years since the Ilinden Uprising and 76 years since the First Session of ASNOM, we remember all known and unknown heroes, comits and partisans who gave their lives in the fight for freedom and an independent state. Thanks to them, today we live in peace and in our own, internationally recognized country, reads the congratulatory message from the Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, on the occasion of August 2 – Ilinden, Republic Day, congratulating the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.
“That is why we must never forget their contribution and inspired by their work we should continue to work on the welfare and prosperity of the country, respecting each other. “We must be virtuous and acknowledge their sacrifice, aware that nothing begins or ends with us,” Pendarovski said in a congratulatory message.
This year we celebrate Ilinden with a big step towards full realization of strategic goals, full membership in NATO and start of negotiations with the EU, which means, underlines Pendarovski, guarantee of security, sovereignty and economic progress, thus achieving the ideals and visions of the people of Ilinden and ASNOM.
“But we are also celebrating Ilinden this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as a huge threat to health, but also to our existence and way of life, not only in our country, but all over the world. This is a time when we must unite and come out together as winners of this situation. In this struggle we do not need weapons, but responsibility, solidarity, discipline, patience and harmony. “Because of all the sacrifices in the past and the respect and debt to our ancestors, but also because of the future of our children and our country, let us forget all disagreements and impatience and come out united as winners,” reads the congratulatory message from President Pendarovski.
