Nicaragua and North Korea will establish new embassies in each others’ capitals, Managua has announced, a move that would elevate the two countries’ friendship based on shared opposition to the U.S. to the highest level in over three decades.

“We met the ambassador or representative of brother Kim Jong Un, who also sent us a beautiful message, and we assumed the commitment to open embassies,” Vice-President Rosario Murillo announced in a statement to Nicaraguan media late last month.

Murillo — who is also Nicaragua’s first lady and a government spokesperson — said her country has already delivered a request for