Turkey proposes new security mechanism in the Black Sea

Turkey has called for an end to the shelling of ships in the Black Sea and has separately proposed the creation of an international mechanism to protect ships and agricultural infrastructure.

The spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party, Ömer Çelik, said that the conflict has turned into a war of attrition and poses increasing risks for the Black Sea region, writes Daily Sabah.

Çelik specifically drew attention to the attacks on civilian ships under the Turkish flag. According to him, more than 40 such ships have been attacked in the Black Sea since the beginning of the war. He called for an immediate end to this cycle of attacks and a return to negotiations in Istanbul.

In parallel, the Turkish Agricultural Diplomacy Group (TTDG) has proposed a separate international mechanism to protect food trade and civilian shipping in the Black Sea, writes Miller.

The initiative involves an agreement not to strike grain terminals, silos, warehouses and other civilian agricultural infrastructure.

For vessels carrying grain, oilseeds, vegetable oils and fertilizers, it is proposed to create a system of notification and route coordination, as well as a voluntary register with confirmation of the civil status of the vessel, cargo and declared route.

TTDG believes that Turkey could perform a coordinating role based on the model of the Joint Coordination Center, which operated in Istanbul within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Separately, TTDG proposes to create a mechanism for insurance of military risks with the participation of international financial institutions and private insurers, as well as to expand the capacity of Danube ports and land routes through Romania and Bulgaria.

USM previously reported that Turkey wants to return to the format of a “grain corridor” in the Black Sea.