Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria on Monday launched a joint mine-sweeping force in the Black Sea to improve shipping safety, especially for Ukrainian grain exports, Bloomberg reports, UNN writes.
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"On Monday, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria launched a joint mine-searching force in the Black Sea to improve the safety of shipping, including the export of Ukrainian grain," the statement said.
The Istanbul-led initiative, the first major joint action by Black Sea countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is aimed at clearing mines drifting into certain areas of the Black Sea as a result of the war, the publication points out.
The publication recalled that Ukraine launched its own export route through the Black Sea last year after the failure of the grain deal involving Russia. "This has successfully boosted exports and helped the economy grow faster than projected, but this route remains risky," the publication writes.
"In March, Ukraine said that exports from its Black Sea ports had almost returned to pre-war levels after repeated attacks and disruptions following Russia's full-scale invasion. However, ports around Odesa often face strikes from Russia, which continue to disrupt operations," the newspaper notes.
Since the opening of the sea corridor in August 2023, Ukraine has exported 37.4 million tons of agricultural products from Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenne, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported last week.