Macedonia has extended its visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens for five years, the country's ambassador to Kyiv, Aco Spasenoski, has said.

The ambassador announced this at a joint briefing with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara in Kyiv on Monday.

According to the Macedonian ambassador, Ukrainians can travel to Macedonia without visas until 2018, which will help strengthen human contacts between the citizens of the two countries, as well as develop relations in various fields, including in culture, education, science and the economy.

He also assured the Ukrainian side that Macedonia would do whatever is necessary to improve and strengthen relations between the two countries.

The Ukrainian foreign minister, in turn, said that the Macedonian government's decision to extend the visa-free regime with Ukraine entered into force on March 15, 2013, and Ukrainians could already visit the country without visas.

Kozhara said that Ukraine also introduced a visa-free regime for the citizens of Macedonia, which will be in effect until 2015.

"I hope it will have a positive effect on the relations between the two countries," the minister said.

According to him, Ukraine has already established visa-free travel with seventeen countries.