President Iliana Iotova says Bulgaria and Romania have made a breakthrough: for the first time, European Council texts speak directly about the security of the Black Sea.

In a TV interview, she said the texts also stress the sea's strategic importance for the security of Europe and the world. Bulgaria and Romania worked together on diplomacy, which led to a separate discussion on the Black Sea.

The European Council concluded that Russia is behind the attacks on four ships in the Black Sea. The president advised people to read the European documents carefully.

Iotova counted her talks with the NATO secretary general and the special meeting of the North Atlantic Council as part of the diplomatic work. Bulgaria's state bodies worked at many levels and coordinated very well, she said.

The president said an active foreign policy is the right one, especially in a hard and dangerous situation. For decades, she said, Bulgaria agreed to everything, and that cost the country quite a few lost gains. Now it does not agree to everything. The country made its strategic choice long ago.

Asked whether national security is under threat, Iotova said she could not speak of a threat. But she said there are risks and threats to Black Sea security from several directions.

Bulgaria will not move towards a radical foreign policy, because that would be a big mistake, the president said. As head of state, she knows the value of every word, Iotova added.

Next year Bulgaria marks 20 years since it joined the European Union.