Bulgaria, Romania and Turkiye are preparing to launch a mine-clearing operation in the Black Sea, said Defence Minister Todor Tagarev on Friday. He confirmed that it will take joint action with Romania Türkiye to clear shared Black Sea waters of floating mines amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
He was speaking at the opening of an international conference entitled “Winning the Peace in Ukraine.” It is organized by the Sofia Security Forum in partnership with the US Embassy in Bulgaria. It is scheduled to start work already in November.
Defense Minister Todor Tagarev emphasized that some small details still remain to be clarified. The joint operation will benefit both collective higher security and exclusive economic zones, especially in exporting grain from Ukraine.
Minister Tagarev remarked that Grain exports are crucial for Ukraine and Bulgaria and food security in different parts of the world. However, involving Ukrainian forces in demining the black sea operation is not planned yet.
A few weeks ago, the Ukrainians destroyed the Black Sea fleet headquarters, including a large number of high-ranking officials. Along with those deaths, there was a massive destruction of control systems and records, claims Ukrainian forces.
Records that map out where all the mines were laid. Ukraine believes that the Russian navy is now blind and is in danger due to its own mines.