By Ahmet Gencturk
ATHENS (AA) – Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye, three NATO allies in the Black Sea, will sign a memorandum of understanding on the formation of a Mine Countermeasures Naval Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), the Bulgarian and Romanian defense ministries announced Wednesday.
Bulgarian Deputy Minister Atanas Zapryanov, in this regard, will arrive in Istanbul on Thursday, the Defense Ministry in Sofia said in a statement.
“The establishment of the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Naval Group (MCM Black Sea) was initiated by Türkiye in August 2023 with the main task of ensuring the safety of the sea routes in the Black Sea from drifting mines and countering the mine threat that arose after the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the ministry said.
Stressing that the MCM’s operations would be peaceful and would not be directed against any other country, it said, “It is expected to help improve interaction and good-neighborly relations between the participants, without replacing NATO's presence and ongoing deterrence and defence activities in the Black Sea region.”
In a separate statement on the same issue, the Romanian Defense Ministry said Defense Minister Angel Tilvar will represent the country in Istanbul for the signing of the memorandum of understanding.
“The operational structure of MCM Black Sea, with a rotating command every six months and two planned activations per rotation, will ensure a continuous level of vigilance and readiness, while also helping to strengthen the Allied deterrence and eastern flank defense posture,” the ministry said.
It added, “NATO littoral partners, as well as NATO Standing Naval Groups and non-littoral Allies, will be able to participate in MCM Black Sea activities in order to develop cooperation in support of Black Sea security and to improve interoperability.”