Bulgaria, Türkiye and Romania condemned drone attacks against commercial vessels in the Black Sea during a trilateral meeting of defense ministers in Sofia and discussed regional security and deeper cooperation.
The meeting brought together Bulgarian defense minister Dimitar Stoyanov, Turkish national defense minister Yaşar Güler and Romanian defense minister Ștefan-Radu Oprea.
After the talks, the three countries condemned the attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea and agreed to strengthen information sharing, maritime situational awareness and early-warning capabilities.
Turkish national defense minister Yaşar Güler used his post-meeting statement to underline Ankara’s approach to Black Sea security while leaving room for cooperation with NATO allies.
Güler recalled that Türkiye has the longest coastline on the Black Sea, emphasising the importance Ankara attaches to maintaining regional stability and security.
He stressed that decisions should take account of the prevailing security environment and avoid approaches that could increase tensions or introduce additional risks.
Current Arrangements for Warships Passage through Turkish Straits Remain in Place
The Montreux Convention featured prominently in his statement. Güler said Türkiye had meticulously implemented the Convention since the beginning of the war, arguing that this had helped prevent the conflict from spreading to a wider region.
He confirmed that the current arrangements governing the passage of warships through the Turkish Straits would remain in place as long as existing conditions persisted.
Another significant element of Güler’s remarks concerned contributions by other countries to Black Sea security.
Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group on Table of Discussions
Referring to the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group (MCM Black Sea TG), established by Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria in 2024, Güler said other countries could contribute to the initiative with the agreement of its three members, without deploying ships.
“We believe it is important to focus on the protection of critical underwater infrastructure as well as the risk posed by drifting mines. In this context, we signed the amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding on the margins of the NATO summit on July 07, 2026,” he said.
Another diplomatic message in Güler’s statement concerned Türkiye’s continuing dialogue with Russia.
While reaffirming Ankara’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Güler noted that maintaining communication channels with Moscow had helped Türkiye work towards preventing regional crises from escalating.
He also said Türkiye remained in contact with both Russia and Ukraine, urging them to halt attacks against commercial vessels and keep civilian shipping outside the conflict.
“Türkiye maintains contacts through all channels to create opportunities for dialogue between the Russian Federation and Ukraine to protect maritime transport routes and ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. Necessary warnings are constantly made to both sides to keep commercial navigation out of the conflict zone and to stop attacks on civilian ships immediately,” he said.
Türkiye Reserves all Legal Rights for Attacks on Turkish Ships, Güler says
Güler stressed that Türkiye reserved all its legal rights concerning attacks on Turkish-flagged and Turkish-operated vessels and called on both parties to the war to keep commercial shipping outside the conflict.
Another important outcome of the Sofia meeting was the decision to continue trilateral consultations at both political and military levels.
Political Talks in Bucharest, Military Talks in Ankara
Bulgarian defense minister Stoyanov announced that the next political-level meeting would take place in Bucharest, while military experts would meet in Ankara.
From his part, Romanian minister of national defence Ștefan-Radu Oprea highlighted the security consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war for his country and the importance of NATO’s support for strengthening surveillance, early warning and counter-drone capabilities. At the same time, he stressed the need to strengthen measures to protect critical infrastructure in Romania’s exclusive economic zone.
The importance of continuing cooperation within the trilateral Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Initiative – MCM Black Sea, to identify and neutralize mines and maintain the safety of navigation was also highlighted.
