Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler has said Ankara will strengthen maritime security with Bulgaria and Romania, warning Moscow and Kyiv against attacks on civilian shipping and calling for restraint and diplomacy. He stressed regional cooperation to keep the Black Sea secure and to protect critical underwater infrastructure.
Guler said Turkey has applied the Montreux Convention since Russia launched its war against Ukraine in 2022, limiting the conflict’s spread and its effect on the Black Sea. He said the war has brought attacks on commercial vessels and threats from drifting mines, unmanned surface vehicles, drones and missile fragments. He urged both sides to exercise restraint and respect freedom of navigation in international waters, citing a recent incident in which a commercial vessel was struck by three drones in Bulgaria’s maritime jurisdiction.
He said decisions on responding to threats must take timing and regional circumstances into account, and that Turkey has reserved all legal rights over attacks on Turkish-flagged and Turkish-operated vessels. Ankara has also established the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group, known as MCM Black Sea, and has assumed leadership of the Maritime Component Command under the Ukraine Volunteer Coalition.
Guler said Turkey will continue using diplomatic channels to create opportunities for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, with the aim of protecting maritime trade routes and freedom of navigation. He underlined the safety of commercial routes and the security of Black Sea coastal countries. Turkey has taken joint steps with Bulgaria and Romania to limit the war’s impact on their security and on citizens’ well-being while maintaining safe navigation, and he pledged further measures guided by regional cooperation and the capabilities available to the countries involved. A joint text agreed at the meeting reaffirmed the three countries’ firm stance on Black Sea security.
Guler also highlighted protection of critical underwater infrastructure, noting that amendments to a related memorandum of understanding were signed on 7 July on the sidelines of the NATO summit. He said Turkey would continue working with its allies on Black Sea security challenges and maritime safety.