SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonia has formally apologized to a German citizen who was unlawfully seized, tortured, and handed over to United States authorities 14 years ago as part of the CIA's secret rendition program.

The Macedonian Foreign Ministry confirmed to The Associated Press Wednesday that it had made a formal apology to 54-year-old Khaled El-Masri.

Macedonian security personnel detained El-Masri in December 2003 and secretly interrogated him for more than three weeks. He then was delivered to CIA agents, who took him to Afghanistan.

In a 2012 ruling , the European Court of Human Rights found Macedonia in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights in El-Masri's case and awarded compensation of 60,000 euros (currently $74,000.) The Macedonian government subsequently paid the damages.