Three NATO allies to demine the Black Sea: when the agreement is set to be signed

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria have agreed to sign a trilateral agreement on de-mining the Black Sea. The militaries of these countries have also agreed to take measures to clear the reservoir of explosive ordnance.

This was announced by Turkey's Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, TRT Haber reports. According to him, the document is to be signed on January 11, 2024.

It is known that it was the Turkish authorities who led this trilateral initiative. All three countries agreed to counteract the mine threats in the Black Sea that have arisen because of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Last month, on November 22-23, delegations from the three countries held the third round of the Black Sea Mine-Sweeping Force meeting at the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. The signing ceremony is scheduled for January 11 in Istanbul with the participation of the three countries' defense ministers.

"Restoring peace and stability in the Black Sea is important for the whole world, especially for the littoral states. We are carefully, responsibly and impartially implementing the Montreux Convention, which ensures balance in the Black Sea, and we are determined to fulfill it," Yaşar said.

Commenting on the event, Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army South, noted that the military of the three countries was ready to go out to the sea to carry out demining. He called it a "security indicator".

We would like to add that the units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine received demining equipment from Japan, meaning dozens of special vehicles and mine detectors. In addition, 10 special demining vehicles were donated to Ukraine by the government of South Korea, and Switzerland plans to donate 60 such vehicles.

Ukraine is currently the most mined country in the world. Almost a third of our country's territory, which is about 174 thousand square kilometers, is considered potentially dangerous. The government has announced its intention to return 80% of these territories to economic use in 10 years.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the UK and Norway are planning to create a maritime coalition to ensure the safety of Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea. As part of this initiative, the partners will give our country two Sandown minesweepers from the British Navy.

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