Cyprus Foreign Minister concludes first official visit to Skopje

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides had by Wednesday night completed his round of talks in Skopje, where he held an official one-day visit to discuss a range of issues with his North Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov.

During the visit, the first to take place since the two countries established diplomatic relations last August, Christodoulides and Dimitrov discussed bilateral relations and examined possibilities for further cooperation in various fields.

The two also discussed EU-North Macedonia relations and the European prospects for the Western Balkans, as well as developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East, migration in light of recent developments, the Cyprus issue, Turkey’s unlawful activities in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus and other regional and international issues of mutual interest.

An announcement on Thursday highlighted that Christodoulides had the chance to assure his interlocutor about the positive stance Nicosia retains vis-à-vis North Macedonia’s EU accession prospects.

The two sides also agreed to immediately engage in a dialogue aiming at finalizing a bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation.

They also agreed to organise a business conference within 2020, in order to promote investment and bilateral trade, taking into account existing direct flights connecting the two countries.

They finally agreed to accredit Ambassadors to Nicosia and Skopje, respectively.

Christodoulides’ meeting was followed by extended consultations with the participation of the delegations of the two Foreign Ministries.

While in Skopje, Christodoulides was also received separately by the country’s President, Stevo Pendarovski and Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski.