Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania to Conduct Joint Minesweeping Operations in Black Sea

Tripartite agreement follows refusal by Ankara to let two British minesweeping ships bound for Ukraine pass through its waters.

Ships anchored in the Black Sea await to enter the Sulina canal, one of the spilling points of the river Danube to the Black Sea in south-eastern Romania on June 8, 2022. Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images

NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania have signed an agreement to conduct joint minesweeping operations in the conflict-hit Black Sea.

“We have jointly decided to sign a protocol between our three countries to fight more effectively against the danger of mines ... by improving our existing close cooperation,” Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on Jan. 11.