Turkish parliament head Mustafa Şentop congratulates North Macedonia on 30 years of independence

Turkey's parliament speaker on Wednesday congratulated North Macedonia on the 30th anniversary of its independence.

In a letter to his North Macedonian counterpart Talat Xhaferi, Mustafa Şentop said: "I sincerely believe that relations between Turkey and North Macedonia, rooted from the ties of brotherhood and love that come from history, and the close cooperation between our parliaments will develop further in the future in line with the common interests of our peoples and will continue to contribute to the stability of the region."

Şentop wished health, happiness, peace and prosperity to the friendly and brotherly people of North Macedonia and the esteemed members of the North Macedonian Assembly, the letter said.

Formerly known as Macedonia, the country declared its independence as a result of a series of political uprisings and conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

In an independence referendum held on Sep. 8, 1991, an overwhelming 95.3% of the population voted for an independent Macedonia.

After this declaration of independence, Turkey, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina recognized North Macedonia as an independent state.