site.btaBulgaria, Romania, Turkiye Sign MoU on Mine Counter-measures Task Group Black Sea

Bulgarian Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov signed here a Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkiye on the establishment of a Mine Counter-measures Task Group Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), Zapryanov's Ministry said in a press release on Thursday. The Memorandum was also signed by Defence Ministers Angel Tilvar for Romania and Yasar Guler for Turkiye.

After the Memorandum has been approved conclusively at the national level by the other participating countries as well, a MCM Black Sea operational planning process will start. Once this process is completed, the task group can be activated.

Initially, participation in MCM Black Sea is to be limited to one mine countermeasures ship of each of the three Black Sea Allies. They will act primarily in their territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.

A Mine Counter-measures Task Group Black Sea Committee will be established as an executive body for decision-making, direction, consultation and overall direction of mine countermeasures operations. The Committee will involve the three countries' Navy Commanders and will hold meetings at least twice a year. Based on the Committee's decisions, operations will be scheduled for definite areas, specifying the assets planned to be committed for the relevant activation period of the group. Operations will be carried out at least twice in six months in fifteen-day periods.

The task group was initiated by Turkiye in August 2023. Its task is to ensure the safety of sea lanes in the Black Sea in response to the mine threat that arose after the start of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The group's activities will not be directed against any other country and the Black Sea demining operation is expected to help improve interaction and good-neighbourly relations between the participants, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry explained.