Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov congratulated Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev on February 3 2008, saying that he looked forward to working with the new Kremlin leader.

“I am certain in the success of our future co-operation and the continuation of dialogue between our countries,” the presidency’s press service said in a statement.

“Allow me, on this symbolic day that marks the 130th anniversary of Bulgaria’s liberation, to wish you a lot of success and courage in serving your people,” the statement read.

Bulgaria celebrates on March 3 the liberation from the Ottoman Empire after the 1877/78 Russo-Turk War.

Medvedev, who was picked by outgoing president Vladimir Putin as his heir-apparent, won the Russian presidential elections on March 2 in a landslide.

Although the polls have come under criticism from both Western observers and Russian opposition as neither free nor fair, their outcome reflected the will of the people, Reuters reported.

In their report, observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said that there were problems with candidate registration and equal media access for all candidates, Reuters said.

Medvedev had 70.2 per cent of the vote with 99.7 per cent of ballots counted, while turnout reached was 69.7 per cent.