New Delhi, Mar 20 (IANS): In what is being seen as the outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s massive popularity on the global stage, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s expression of gratitude on X to the PM after the Indian Navy rescued his country’s ship ‘Ruen’ and its crew has drawn huge applause and massive reaction from the users on the social media platform.

In his post, the Bulgarian President said, “My sincere gratitude to PM @narendramodi for the brave action of the Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship ‘Ruen’ and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian citizens.”

The message drew him more traction than any other post he has shared on X. His message posted on X on March 18 got over two million impressions, 25,000 likes, and 5,400 reposts so far.

The traction that the message received was the highest ever among all the posts that the Bulgarian President has put up on X so far. For instance, the second-most viewed message by President Radev received 57K views, 74 likes, and 87 reposts.

Also, the majority of the posts from his handle have received less than 100 likes and 10-15 reposts with impressions not exceeding 15K on an average.

The huge traction to his X message thanking PM Modi for the Indian Navy’s brave role in rescuing the Bulgarian ship bears testimony to the tremendous popularity, clout, and influence that the Prime Minister continues to command at the global and domestic fronts.

Just two weeks ago, PM Modi emerged as the most popular leader in the world with an approval rating of 78 per cent.

Earlier, while appreciating the Bulgarian President’s gratitude to the Indian Navy, PM Modi said in a message on X, “Appreciate your message President @PresidentOfBg. We are happy that 7 Bulgarian nationals are safe and will be returning home soon. India is committed to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.”