NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania have invited other countries to join the upcoming Black Sea mine clearance operation, Euractiv reports.
The joint initiative to clear the sea of mines and secure sea lanes remains open to joint action and the participation of mine action forces and assets from other NATO members outside the Black Sea region. The ministry told Euractiv:
For the time being, mine countermeasure ships of the three Black Sea allied states – Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey – will participate in the Mine Countermeasures Naval Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea).
Back in August, Turkey initiated the group with the aim of securing sea lanes in the Black Sea in response to the mine threat following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
The Bulgarian government maintains that the group’s activities will not be directed against any other country, and the Black Sea mine clearance operation is expected to help improve interaction and good neighbourly relations between the participants, the Defence Ministry explained.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding between the governments of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey on the establishment of a naval mine action group is due to take place on Thursday in Istanbul. An operational planning process will follow this, during which detailed documents and instructions for the group’s actions in all respects will be drawn up, which could last up to several months.
In late December, a Greek cargo vessel sailing under a Panamanian flag in the Black Sea collided with a mine. A fire subsequently broke out on the deck of the vessel and two sailors were injured.
On Tuesday, Turkey said it would not allow two minesweepers provided to Ukraine by Britain to pass through its waters on their way to the Black Sea because it would violate an international pact on wartime passage through straits.
Last month, Britain said it would hand over two Royal Navy ships to the Ukrainian Navy to help support Ukraine’s maritime operations.
Turkey has notified its allies that it will not allow ships to use the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits while the war in Ukraine continues, the country’s president has said.
