President Klaus Iohannis welcomed Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov at the Cotroceni Palace

 President Klaus Iohannis welcomed on Friday Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov at the Cotroceni Palace, with talks focusing on ways to deepen bilateral relations, security developments arising from the Russian Federation's military aggression against Ukraine and support to Ukraine, energy security, coordinating regional and European positions in the run-up to the NATO Summit in Madrid, the Presidential Administration informs.At bilateral level, the two top officials emphasized the common interest in further developing Romania and Bulgaria's deep partnership in political, economic and security terms. With regard to economic cooperation, the sides pointed out that Romania is Bulgaria's second largest EU trading partner, as trade exchanges have increased significantly in the last years.President Iohannis and Prime Minister Petkov discussed the common goals of improving road and river connections along the Danube and the necessary measures to ensure the navigability of the river. In this regard, they emphasized the need for the rapid implementation of the European Fast Danube project, aimed at improving navigation in the Romanian-Bulgarian section of the Danube.Both leaders emphasized the important role of the communities on both sides of the Danube, with interconnections contributing to economic development and creating new opportunities for them, the cited source said.As regards the energy sector, President Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romania's support for joint European efforts to end the European Union's energy dependence on the Russian Federation as soon as possible, in line with the European Council's agreed approach.The head of the state also stressed the importance of completing energy interconnections among EU member states, particularly in the current difficult circumstances where the Russian Federation has halted gas exports to Bulgaria and Poland. President Klaus Iohannis underscored the major importance of the rapid operationalization of the Bulgaria-Greece gas interconnector and commended the recent steps taken in this direction by Bulgaria. The two top officials also stressed the importance of bilateral and regional cooperation in dealing with this complex energy situation and reiterated the importance of cooperation in achieving the European climate change goals.Regarding the security developments generated by the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, President Klaus Iohannis reiterated the support the Romanian authorities provide to Ukraine on multiple levels, the assistance offered to Ukrainian refugees through the Suceava-based humanitarian hub and the support to facilitate Ukrainian exports as a way of supporting the Ukrainian economy. Ways of coordinating relief and situation-management measures were also discussed.President Iohannis also approached aspects related to the active and comprehensive support that the Republic of Moldova needs."President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Kiril Petkov also discussed the advancement of Romania and Bulgaria's Schengen accession, stating that this will contribute to strengthening both the Single Market and the resilience of the European Union as a whole, which is the more so necessary in the current context, marked by multiple crises. The two top officials agreed on the continuation of coordinated action for achieving this common goal," the Presidential Administration said.