Malta's honorary consul in North Macedonia has agreed that he cannot remain in the role after he was slapped with a US travel ban over corruption allegations.
Kocho Angjushev had his position terminated by the foreign ministry after Times of Malta sent questions about the US State Department sanctions.
In a statement on Thursday, the former deputy prime minister of North Macedonia said that he was "not able, nor should Malta have an Honorary Consul with a shadow to his name, even if it is unjustified".
Angjushev was appointed honorary consul by President George Vella in October 2021 and held the position until it was terminated on Wednesday.
The US State Department has claimed he abused his official position while serving as deputy prime minister to benefit his private business interests.
Angjushev, the founder and owner of Feroinvest, denies the allegations but said he accepted that the US decision meant he could no longer hold his role.
"Until these allegations are corrected, I do not want and cannot advocate on behalf of any state or institution," he said.
"The decision to restrict entry to the United States of America is something that concerns me personally and I should deal with that issue personally, without negative consequences for friendly countries, individuals, business associates or institutions."
He said he had "personally informed" Foreign Minister Ian Borg "about the new situation" as well as his determination to fight the US decision.
"The minister informed me that Malta will closely follow the development of events and that in that context they will take into account any positive outcome," he said.
"I expressed my gratitude to Minister Borg for the opportunity and honor to serve for a period in the interests of an EU member state and the interests of our two countries."
A foreign ministry spokesperson said the ministry never received any negative information about him since his appointment in 2021 but terminated his appointment in light of the US decision.
According to President Vella, in an article he wrote while minister of foreign affairs, honorary consuls are "high net worth individuals who have been identified over the years to provide consular support to Maltese citizens".