Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey Call on Other Countries to Join Black Sea Demining

This week in Istanbul, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey are set to sign a trilateral agreement for joint demining operations in the Black Sea, followed by the commencement of the corresponding mission. The Bulgarian Minister of Defence, Todor Tagarev, announced this in an interview with the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.

According to the minister, work in this direction has been ongoing since late summer. He emphasized that the conflict in Ukraine, instigated by Russia, poses risks to Bulgaria's territory and other countries, as well as maritime safety. In order to minimize these risks, the navies of the three countries are also involved in the demining process, with the minister expressing hope for its successful outcome. "We have reached an agreement on the concept and the text of the agreement – how to regulate all issues, so this mission will start soon," Tagarev said.

The Ministry of Defence of Bulgaria notes that the initiative remains open for joint actions and participation of mine-clearing forces and assets from other NATO member countries outside the Black Sea region.

The Bulgarian government emphasizes that the demining initiative in the Black Sea is not directed against any other country. Officials expect the operation, on the contrary, to contribute to improving cooperation and neighborly relations among the participants.

After the agreement is signed, the process of operational planning will begin, aimed at developing detailed documents and instructions for demining. This process may take several months.

It is worth noting that since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the naval diving teams of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey have regularly identified and neutralized mines drifting in their territorial waters. There have also been several incidents where civilian vessels suffered damage due to explosions of anti-ship mines in the Black Sea.

One such incident was reported by The Gaze in mid-October, when an oil tanker under the flag of Liberia encountered a mine in the Black Sea near the coast of Romania. The incident occurred on October 15 as the tanker was passing near the Sulina Channel. Fortunately, the crew of the vessel was unharmed by the explosion, and the ship itself sustained only minor damages.