Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania sign a deal to tackle Black Sea mines

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania have signed an agreement to jointly tackle rogue sea mines that have threatened Black Sea shipping since the start of the Ukraine war. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said Thursday the memorandum established a Mine Countermeasures Task Group between the three NATO allies to deal with drifting mines. “We jointly decided to sign a protocol between three countries in order to fight more effectively against the mine danger in the Black Sea by improving our existing close cooperation and coordination,” Guler said at a news conference in Istanbul. The deal comes after Ankara refused entry to the Black Sea for two minesweeping vessels donated to Ukraine by Britain.