site.btaAt Paris Summit, Bulgaria Offers to Host Multinational Coordination Centre for Black Sea Shipping Safety

Bulgaria offers to host a future multinational coordination centre to ensure safe shipping in the western Black Sea. The idea was made public Thursday by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in Paris where he is attending the Ukraine Security Summit on the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.

The Bulgarian initiative is for the coordination centre to provide round-the-clock monitoring and early warning for potential threats and hostile activities, and to improve the resilience of critical submarine infrastructure in the Black Sea. 

"The goal is to establish guidelines for navigation and to carry out monitoring activities – by air and by sea, as well as on critical infrastructure, and on all potential hostile actions in the territory of the Black Sea," Zhelyazkov said after his participation in the meeting. According to him, it is essential to restore commercial shipping because it affects not only the neighbouring countries but also the entire flow of goods from East to West. The Prime Minister pointed out that the mine-sweeping group in the Black Sea is a good example of how coordination between maritime states can contribute to efforts to strengthen security, safety, stability, and the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.

At the meeting in Paris on Thursday, the cessation of military actions in Ukraine was discussed in the context of establishing a stable and lasting peace with all security guarantees that should be provided for Ukraine, including guarantees for the security of Europe. Prime Minister Zhelyazkov emphasized the importance of the format of the Summit with leaders from all across Europe, as well as international partners. This, according to him, is indicative of the strength of the cause and the chosen path: establishing a lasting, just peace, in compliance with all principles of international law.