Skopje, 26 October 2022 (MIA) — North Macedonia signed the status agreement with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, in the Macedonian language on Wednesday evening. Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Ludva, representing the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson signed the agreement on behalf of the EU. Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski signed it on behalf of North Macedonia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski attended the signing. “In this context, the signing of the Frontex status agreement represents yet another step in deepening the relations between the EU and North Macedonia. It will bring practical benefits through the improvement of the border security of the country. “The agreement has been prepared in the Macedonian language, as well as all 24 EU languages, all linguistic versions being equally valid,” the EU Delegation wrote in a press release earlier on Wednesday. The agreement on border management cooperation between North Macedonia and  Frontex had been blocked by Bulgaria because of the use of the words "Macedonian language." On Oct. 13, the EU Council adopted the decision to sign the agreement after Sofia lifted the veto, leaving the language formulation intact. The agreement, which allows joint operations as well as Frontex border management teams to be deployed in North Macedonia, was then approved by the European Parliament. mr/