Romanian President Nicușor Dan on Monday congratulated Iliana Iotova on her election as president of Bulgaria. In a message on X he stressed cooperation between neighbours, EU partners and NATO allies, with a focus on the security and development of the region, “starting with the Black Sea.”

“Congratulations to Iliana Iotova on her election as President of Bulgaria! I look forward to continuing our close work together and to deepening cooperation between our countries,” he wrote, adding that he looks forward to welcoming her to Romania soon.

According to Bulgaria’s Central Electoral Commission figures cited by Novinite, with 99.95% of precinct protocols processed Iliana Iotova won 57.58% in the runoff for a five-year term. Rival Andrey Ghiurov accepted the result.

The Bucharest message follows congratulations from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who on Sunday spoke of working together on security, defence, competitiveness and energy independence — “for a strong Bulgaria in a strong Europe.”

The Sofia vote took place amid Black Sea concerns after recent drone incidents involving commercial ships off the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts. For Bucharest, the bilateral note ties Sofia’s outcome to a shared regional security agenda, without yet announcing an official visit calendar.

Source: Nicușor Dan congratulates Bulgaria’s new president (Mediafax); confirmation: President Nicusor Dan congratulates Bulgaria's presidential election winner Iliana Iotova (AGERPRES)