In an official ceremony held at Dondukov 2, Vice President Iliana Iotova awarded the prestigious state honor, the Order of the Madara Horseman, First Degree, to the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Bulgaria, Alexios-Marios Lyberopoulos. The award is an official recognition of the diplomat's significant contribution to strengthening and developing bilateral relations between the two countries.

In her speech during the award ceremony, Iliana Iotova highlighted the long-standing spirit of friendship and mutual assistance between Bulgaria and Greece, recalling that the beginning of diplomatic relations between them dates back to 1880. She emphasized that in these difficult times, the role of the two countries as guarantors of stability for all of Europe has grown, ranging from securing the external borders of the European Union to the results of our joint projects. "Today, we are part of our large European family and NATO, but what matters most is how we continue to build upon our bilateral partnership," the Vice President noted.

Iliana Iotova highlighted the intensive cooperation and the efforts of Ambassador Lyberopoulos during his tenure in realizing joint initiatives in a number of key areas:

  • the development of North-South connectivity;
  • projects in the fields of infrastructure and energy;
  • cooperation in defense, tourism, and culture.

The Vice President further pointed out that the diplomat contributed to bringing the two nations closer together through cultural events, participation in conferences on the future of Southeast Europe, and active interaction with Bulgarian institutions and local authorities. She also underscored his personal contribution to ensuring that our position is heard by global partners: "Greece sent a great friend of our country to Bulgaria, someone who spared no effort or time to make our bilateral relations and contacts so intensive and fruitful that we can serve as an example for many other states."

For his part, Alexios-Marios Lyberopoulos expressed his gratitude for the collaborative work with Iliana Iotova during her term as Vice President. The diplomat highlighted the excellent bilateral relations and their continuous development, emphasizing the importance of joint work in the energy, transport, infrastructure, and security sectors. In conclusion, he noted that global challenges require even greater commitment, adding: "Bilaterally, but also regionally, it is extremely important that we remain together and united."