NATO members Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria are nearing an agreement to create a joint force to clear their maritime spaces in the Black Sea in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. Ukrainian Pravda.

The three countries’ deputy defense ministers are due to meet in Ankara on Wednesday to try to finalize the details of a unit that will deal with sea mine clearance, according to three people familiar with the matter.

It was unclear whether a final deal would be signed after the two-day meeting, one of the sources said.

The Ministries of Defense of Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria have not yet commented on this information.

The meeting came just days after Turkey’s navy chief, Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu, opposed the presence of naval forces from other NATO allies, including the United States, in the Black Sea, saying it could further escalate tensions in the region.

If approved, the joint demining force would not be considered a NATO operation, but would be the first major joint action by the Black Sea allies since President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The coalition aims to be completely peaceful and aims to combat the threat to a major trade route, particularly grain carriers and energy exploration vessels in the region.

While Erjument Tatlioglu said Turkey is capable of providing security in the Black Sea, a senior US State Department official stressed the need for a secure and interconnected Black Sea region.

Incidents with sea mines off the coast of Romania

It will be recalled that in October, a Turkish-flagged boat ran into a mine in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania and suffered minor damage.

British maritime security company Ambrey said the vessel had reportedly hit a sea mine 11 nautical miles north of Sulina, Romania, near the entrance to the Sulina Channel.

On August 14, the Romanian Navy said that no drifting sea mines were found after the explosion in the area of ​​the pier in front of the Forum Hotel in Costineşti on August 14, but since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 and – “adapted action plans and carrying out systematic measures with exploration of maritime space in the area of ​​responsibility by warships and aircraft”.

In May of this year, coast guard officers discovered a sea mine in the Black Sea 7 nautical miles (about 13 km) east of Sulina, which was then carried by the current into the territorial waters of Ukraine.