BELGRADE / SKOPJE – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev issued a joint statement in which they agreed to promote friendly relations between the Serbia and Macedonia.
The agreement came after a hectic week of diplomatic tensions between Macedonia and Serbia.
The agreement reads as follows as follows:
“The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia will resolve any possible disagreement in their mutual relations exclusively through dialogue;
Regardless of any political differences on certain important political and regional issues, Serbia and Macedonia will jointly fight not only to preserve, but also to promote friendly relations between the Serbian and Macedonian people and the citizens of Serbia and Macedonia;
The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia will make even greater efforts to further improve economic relations and increase trade between the two countries;
In accordance with international public-legal regulations, the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia shall, in good faith and on a friendly basis, protect the rights and interests of diplomatic and consular missions on their territory;
The Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia will intensify mutual communication at the highest level, support each other on the European path and contribute to the stability of the region by strengthening good neighborly relations.”
On Monday, Serbia withdrew its embassy staff from Macedonia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia said it received a note from the embassy of Serbia in Skopje, saying its staff were being recalled for urgent consultations in Belgrade.