Black Sea has become the front line of European security, says Turkish diplomat

The full-scale war accelerated the militarization of the Black Sea region and expanded the spectrum of hybrid threats.

Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine has turned the Black Sea into the front line of European security. This was stated by the former permanent representative of Turkey to NATO, retired diplomat Fatih Ceylan, writes “Ukrinform”.

The stability of the Black Sea is inseparable from the security of Ukraine and the entire Euro-Atlantic space. At the same time, underestimating the strategic importance of the Black Sea region for Europe is a mistake.

The diplomat recalled that successive conflicts in the region since 2008 have significantly changed the strategic calculations for both the countries of the Black Sea basin and for the whole of Europe. In his opinion, the Black Sea has become an arena of geopolitical rivalry in the conditions of the destruction of the international order.

Ceylan also drew attention to Russia’s active use of the Black Sea for hybrid warfare, economic pressure, disinformation campaigns, and threats to freedom of navigation and global food security.

Separately, the diplomat emphasized Ankara’s role in containing the escalation. Turkey’s application of Article 19 of the Montreux Convention allowed it to limit the passage of warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, which effectively made it impossible for Russia to increase its naval presence in the region.

He also recalled that Turkey supports Ukraine, in particular, supplies drones, participates in the construction of corvettes for the Ukrainian Navy, and joins initiatives to demine the Black Sea.

Earlier, USM reported that Turkey could play a key role in creating an “air shield” over the Black Sea.