Skopje/Sofia, May 26 (BTA) - The flight to Rome taking delegations from Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia to pay homage to Sts Cyril and Methodius is an excellent occasion to renew dialogue at the highest level, President Rumen Radev told reporters in Skopje on Wednesday after talking with his counterpart Stevo Pendarovski of the Republic of North Macedonia. The two held a brief meeting before Pendarovski delegation joined the Bulgarian delegation led by Radev, which will pay a visit to the Holy See and Italy.

This is the first time the two delegations have travelled together to Rome to honour the lifework of Sts Cyril and Methodius, Radev's Press Secretariat said on Wednesday.

Radev said the joint trip was an opportunity for Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia to state a shared will for developing their relations on the basis of cooperation, friendship and goodneighbourliness. The Bulgarian President thanked Skopje for the welcome during his brief visit.

President Pendarovski said in a joint media statement with Radev that trust should be restored and the two countries should talk as friends about the most cumbersome issues standing in their way. He also expressed a hope that this would bring them closer together soon. Pendarovski said that operational-level talks between the two countries have been, and will be, conducted by their governments. "We are here to calm down the atmosphere and talk in a different language about the problem standing between us in the past year," said the President of the Republic of North Macedonia. RY/DD