Officials from the Philippines and the Republic of North Macedonia have signed a joint communique for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and North Macedonia Foreign Affairs Minister Bujar Osmani signed the document in a ceremony at the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City on Sept. 24.
North Macedonia, a country in Southeast Europe gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia.
“Privileged to sign the joint communique on establishing diplomatic relations between North Macedoni and the Philippines with my colleague T.L. Locsin Jr. A historic moment for North Macedonia and Philippines ties and important step towards enlarging our network of friendly countries around the world,” Osmani said in a tweet shortly after the signing ceremony.
Locsin expressed confidence that the signing of the document will be the “start of a strengthened engagement between our two countries and close cooperation not only bilaterally but also in the multilateral arena.”
Osmani noted the importance of North Macedonia which is becoming a hub for investment and main transport corridors in the region.
Both Locsin and Osmani discussed potential agreement and cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, tourism and culture, and education.
Philippines Permanent Representative to the UN Enrique Manalo and North Macedonia’s Chargé d' affaires Dushko Uzunovski witnessed the historic signing.
Macedonia, a country with more than two million people, achieved independence in 1991 in the aftermath of the peaceful breakup of Yugoslavia. It was only in February 2019 when Macedonia officially adopted the name Republic of Northern Macedonia after the signing of the Prespa accord in June 2018 as a result of the decades-long dispute with Greece over the use of the name Macedonia.