Turkey proposes several routes to restore safe navigation in the Black Sea

Turkey has handed over a draft memorandum to Ukraine and Russia that would end attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea.

“We have handed over the text of the memorandum, a draft document, to the Russian and Ukrainian sides to find a solution to the attacks that are taking place in the Black Sea,” a Turkish diplomat told AFP, according to Daily Sabah.

According to industry figures, at least 25 Turkish-owned vessels have been attacked since the end of June, four of them flying the Turkish flag.

The Turkish diplomat added that the new proposal was “inspired” by a 2022 agreement brokered by Turkey and the UN that ensured safe passage for ships exporting Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea without the risk of attack.

Although Russia withdrew from the so-called grain corridor mechanism a year later, Ukraine has created an alternative sea route that runs along the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.

“In this mechanism, there is perhaps a four-five-mile section where the Ukrainian ship has to leave territorial waters and pass through international waters, and this is the risky part. Therefore, our proposal is also based on this experience,” the diplomat explained.

In addition to the route along the coast of Romania and Bulgaria, the Turkish official proposed another option – along the eastern and southern coast of the Black Sea, off the coast of Georgia and Turkey.

“We want to use the territorial waters of neighboring states, in particular Turkey and Georgia, if they are ready to join,” the diplomat said.

As previously reported by USM, on the morning of September 17, a Russian UAV attacked a Tanzanian-flagged ship in the Black Sea that was heading to one of the Ukrainian ports.