Top Turkish diplomat arrives in North Macedonia

By Busra Nur Bilgic and Dzihat Aliju

ANKARA/ SKOPJE (AA) - Turkey's foreign minister on Monday arrived in North Macedonia for a two-day official visit.

"In Skopje for meetings, in friendly North Macedonia" Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted upon his arrival to the country.

Cavusoglu attended a commemoration ceremony in honor of the martyrs of the July 15 coup attempt, organized by the Turkish mission in Skopje.

Speaking at the ceremony, Cavusoglu said Turkey felt the prayers and support of people across the world especially Muslim Ummah.

"But we knew that night [July 15, 2016] that our citizens, our compatriots and relatives of our people, those who love Turkey as well as the entire Ummah prayed for us and lent us support, not only in Turkey but around the world," Cavusoglu said.

"This visit was a short one, but it is a great pleasure for us to come together with the Turkish community and the representatives of the Turkish community," he added.

Cavusoglu is scheduled to meet his North Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov to discuss bilateral relations.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced the visit on Sunday in a statement.

"During the visit, all aspects of our bilateral relations will be discussed, opportunities for further enhancement of ties and the close cooperation between Turkey and North Macedonia will be elaborated, besides views on regional issues will be exchanged," the statement said.