Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye to sign agreement on Black Sea demining

Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye plan to sign an agreement on joint mine clearance of the Black Sea on 11 January, says the defense minister Yashar Güler.

As part of the Triple Initiative, a Turkish-led effort to combat mine danger in the Black Sea, the 3rd round of the Black Sea Mine Action Task Force meeting was held with delegations from three states.

Güler says the official signing ceremony of the agreement is scheduled for January 11 in Istanbul with the participation of the three countries' defense ministers.

"The restoration of peace and stability in the Black Sea is important for the whole world, especially for the littoral states. Turkey is carefully, responsibly and impartially implementing the Montreux Straits Convention, which ensures balance in the Black Sea, and we are determined to fulfill it," the Turkish Defense Minister said.

Güler also said Türkiye will continue to take initiatives to restore the Black Sea Grain Agreement and will also adhere to the Montreux Convention, which preserves the freedom of passage for merchant ships of all countries through the Bosphorus Strait from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea in both peacetime and wartime.

This demining operation will not be considered a NATO task but will be the first major joint action of the Black Sea allies after the start of Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine.

As Bloomberg noted, the coalition of Türkiye, Romania, and Bulgaria will be peaceful, as its goal is to eliminate threats to the main trade route, particularly the transportation of grain.

Norway and the UK had created a maritime coalition to support Ukraine. The new association will supply ships and other vehicles to Ukrainian forces for combat operations at sea.