SKOPJE, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Officials of North Macedonia and Cyprus signed the protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a press release on Friday.
The foreign ministers of North Macedonia and Cyprus, Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Christodoulides, signed the protocol in Helsinki, Finland while attending the informal meeting of the European Union (EU) foreign ministers and EU candidate countries.
"The establishment of diplomatic relations opens the possibilities for the development of political dialogue at all levels and the deepening of economic, cultural and all other forms of cooperation between the two countries," read the press release.
In the social media Twitter Dimitrov called this moment a solemn and long awaited occasion.
"A solemn and long awaited occasion - establishing diplomatic relations between North Macedonia and Cyprus. May our friendship flourish and bring many great opportunities for cooperation and prosperity of our people," tweeted Dimitrov.
According to Dimitrov, with this act, North Macedonia formalizes friendship with another ally in the family of European countries, with whom the government will actively cooperate in fulfilling the European agenda.
This development comes as a result of the Prespa Agreement reached last year, by which North Macedonia obtained its current name, ending a long-standing dispute with Greece.
