The war in the Black Sea has become a priority of Turkey’s security policy

The Minister of National Defense of Turkey has named the Black Sea direction among the key issues of the country’s security policy.

Turkey has identified the war in the Black Sea as one of the priorities of its security policy. This was stated by the Minister of National Defense of the country Yaşar Güler during the opening ceremony of the 2026-2027 academic year of the National Defense University, the Turkish publication Ensondakika reports.

“The ongoing war in the Black Sea and the security risks, the new balances being formed in the Caucasus, the developments in the Middle East, as well as our rights and interests in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean are priority issues of our security policy,” the minister stressed.

According to him, Ankara is closely monitoring the impact of the hostilities on regional security and will continue to adhere to the chosen line.

“In the Black Sea, we are closely monitoring the impact of the war on regional security and continue our responsible and balanced approach aimed at maintaining stability,” Guler said.

The statement came against the backdrop of a sharp escalation in the Black Sea. In the first week of October alone, Russian drones attacked three merchant ships. The grain tanker Royad Mammadov sank off the Romanian coast, and the Alfa Watan sank in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone, while another, Able, caught fire. All three vessels are linked to Istanbul companies.

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reported that Ankara had sent proposals to Ukraine and Russia to stop attacks in the Black Sea, including strikes on port infrastructure.

As USM reported the day before, Bulgaria and Romania will receive satellite images of the sea areas where the Russian Federation attacked ships.