North Korea’s ambassador to Cuba is leaving the country after finishing a five-year tour of duty, a departure that comes on the heels of the Caribbean state’s surprise move to establish formal diplomatic ties with South Korea last month.

Ambassador Ma Chol Su paid a farewell visit to Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday, where they pledged to continue to make efforts to strengthen ties, according to Havanah’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Before the meeting, Ma attended a ceremony where Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla awarded the departing diplomat a Friendship Medal.

“I want this decoration to be, first