Bulgaria announces tripartite anti-mine task force for Black Sea could start work in May

ATHENS

A Black Sea anti-mine task force, established this month by an agreement between Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye, could start its work by May, Bulgaria’s defense chief announced on Monday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Bulgarian Navy’s Sea Survival Centre in the southern port city of Varna, Emil Eftimov added that Türkiye has to ratify the agreement in order for the force to be operational, according to the state-run BTA news agency.

Saying the task force would be open to the participation of the other NATO allies, he said the operations would be done under the Montreux Convention on Turkish Straits and so ships of non-littoral allies would not be used.

The force, whose command will be on a rotational basis, aims to help reduce shipping risks, Eftimov added.