The defense ministers of Bulgaria and Romania will be hosted by Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler on Thursday in Istanbul for an important deal. The three countries will sign a "Trilateral Initiative" for measures against mines in the Black Sea.
The deal comes at a time of heightened risks to maritime traffic amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The countries hope to improve regional security and stability in the Black Sea with the deal, Turkish sources said.
Türkiye spearheads the initiative for the Mine Countermeasures Naval Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea). Romania will be represented by Defense Minister Angel Tilvar, while Atanas Zapryanov, deputy defense minister, will represent Bulgaria at the Istanbul meeting.
Black Sea states Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria met officials from Georgia, Poland and Ukraine in April 2022 to discuss clearing the mines after the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted.
The three countries' defense ministers also discussed the plan at a NATO meeting in Brussels in October and Ankara in November as they worked to finalize the initiative.
Speaking to reporters at a meeting in Ankara last month, Güler said the "Trilateral Initiative" would only include Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria for now.
"Due to the Ukraine-Russia war, there are mines placed in both Ukrainian and Russian ports. These break free sometimes and reach our straits due to the current," Güler told journalists back then. "Our mine-clearing vessels will carry out constant patrols to the point where Romania's (sea) borders end," he added.
Britain announced in December that it would transfer two Royal Navy minehunter ships to the Ukrainian Navy as it sets up a new maritime defense coalition alongside Norway to help strengthen Ukraine's sea operations. The British government has previously said Russia may use sea mines to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea by laying them on the approach to Ukrainian ports. Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planting mines off the Ukrainian coast.
The Black Sea is crucial for shipping grain, oil and oil products. It is bordered by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Türkiye, as well as Ukraine and Russia.
Since the multilateral meeting in April 2022, Turkish and Romanian military diving teams have defused dozens of stray mines around their waters.
Maritime officials say the risk of crossing floating mines in the major Black Sea shipping route adds perils for merchant ships sailing in the region, and governments must ensure safe passage to keep supply chains running.
Türkiye, which maintains good ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, is also working with the United Nations, Ukraine and Russia to revive the Black Sea grain initiative, which Moscow quit last year, though there have been no public signs of progress on those talks.
The Hague Convention of 1907 forbids the usage of unanchored automatic contact mines unless they are constructed in such a way that they become harmless within an hour after the person laying ceases to control them. However, it does not have a provision for free-floating mines. Since March 2022, the Turkish Naval Forces Command, flanked by drones, have conducted minesweeping missions in the Black Sea.
