Ukraine plans to participate in demining the Black Sea

Ukraine wants to join the initiative of NATO countries in demining the Black Sea.

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, said this during a briefing at the Ukraine Media Center. According to him, they are currently forming plans for carrying out specific demining works.

“Last week, five ships left Istanbul: one ship each from Bulgaria and Romania, these are minesweepers, and also three Turkish ships, which begin, relatively speaking, preparations for demining the zone. A clear zone was defined on the relevant maps, which mostly concerns international waters in the western part of the Black Sea,” the ambassador noted.

The issue of expansion of the range and joining of new participants is also currently on the agenda.

The ambassador reminded that Ukraine also once made a proposal to join this initiative, the issue is currently under consideration by the parties.

In addition, some NATO countries have also expressed interest in participating in this initiative at least at the level of liaison officers.

“This is a very useful initiative for us, as it allows us to create a safer space for ships to pass through. It is in our interests, especially to carry out demining in the territorial waters of Ukraine. For now, this initiative is under the auspices of NATO as an element of the regional responsibility of the three NATO member countries and is focused precisely on creating safer conditions for our corridor, which is used by vessels for the export of products, as well as on consolidating international efforts on the subject demining in the Black Sea,” emphasized Vasyl Bondar.

Probably, at first, Ukraine will join the initiative without the participation of ships or without the participation of technical staff. Perhaps liaison officers will be involved, or communication channels with the Turkish side will be used.

“And of course, in the future, I hope that we will have the capabilities to participate as a full member, since Ukraine is a coastal state of the Black Sea region and, of course, a candidate for membership in NATO,” added Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar.

Previously, USM reported that Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria have started demining the Black Sea.