Black Sea

Deputy Minister of Defence Atanas Zapryanov is set to depart for Turkey today, authorized by a Council of Ministers decision to sign a Memorandum between Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. This landmark agreement establishes a Mine Counter Measures Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), with the signing ceremony scheduled for January 11 in Istanbul.

Turkey said on Tuesday it would not allow two minehunter ships donated to Ukraine by Britain to transit its waters en route to the Black Sea since it would violate an international pact concerning wartime passage of the straits.

Ukraine has exported about 13 million tons of merchandise on some 400 ships since setting up a protected maritime corridor in August to fend off Russian threats, a government minister said on Dec. 30.

While Ukraine had few military achievements on land in 2023, on the Black Sea it has pushed Russia's much larger navy away from its coasts, allowing the resumption of grain exports.

By the end of the year, Romania will receive a maritime minesweeper from Great Britain, with which it will join the joint initiative with Bulgaria and Turkey to search for mines in the Black Sea.

This was announced in an interview with "Digi 24" TV by the Minister of Defense Angel Tilvar, who is visiting the USA together with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

"Bulgaria has started equipping the coast guard with missiles". This was announced by Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, specifying that the goal is "that no one dares to approach our Black Sea cities". The Prime Minister said this during the form in which he answers questions put to him by users on Facebook.

A day of mourning in Tsarevo in memory of the victims of the water disaster. Two victims have been confirmed so far. There is also information about three more people missing. As a sign of sympathy, the celebrations for September 6 have been canceled in Burgas and Primorsko.

Illegal constructions in the highlands of the eastern Black Sea region pose a threat to the environment, as an expert warns that the primary cause of pollution in the sea is the waste dumped around these areas, which reaches the Black Sea coast.

Four people drowned on Bulgaria's Southern Black Sea coast in the last 24 hours. This was reported by the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Burgas.

"Turkey is currently a major factor in the region, on the one hand because it has real military capabilities in the Black Sea. Turkey itself is willing and plays a significant role in the processes related to the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Black Sea". Dimo Gyaurov, former director of the National Intelligence Service, commented on BNT.

The Black Sea region is becoming a new hot favorite of tourists looking to spend their holidays in Türkiye, attracting travelers especially from Middle Eastern countries.

With the cities in the region joining the club of tourist hotspots, Türkiye can now offer more options to foreign holidaymakers.