SKOPJE, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of North Macedonia and Turkey agreed to strengthen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, North Macedonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Cavusoglu is visiting North Macedonia at the invitation of his counterpart Nikola Dimitrov.

At the meeting, the two ministers exchanged views on overall bilateral relations, as well as opportunities to strengthen cooperation, according to the statement.

"The ratification of the NATO Accession Protocol of North Macedonia by the Turkish Assembly confirmed the close cooperation and alliance between the two countries that are now formally partners within the NATO Alliance," it said.

At a joint press conference, Dimitrov said North Macedonia and Turkey have been allies ever since North Macedonia's independence, but the ratification formalized this alliance in a broader Euro-Atlantic context.

"North Macedonia's NATO membership will take the country out of the regional pockets of insecurity and uncertainty and will ensure a safer and more predictable perspective," Dimitrov said.

In his remarks, Cavusoglu said that the two countries have been natural allies before North Macedonia was invited to join NATO, adding that Turkey will continue to support North Macedonia in the future.

Turkey was among the 19 countries out of 29 which have ratified the NATO Accession Protocol and gave a green light for North Macedonia's accession into the NATO Alliance.

Regarding the economic cooperation, Cavusoglu said that trade exchanges between the two countries have increased, but more efforts are needed to reach the projected goal of one billion U.S. dollars.

According to Cavusoglu, about 100 Turkish companies have invested in North Macedonia. Enditem

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