Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey have invited other countries to join the initiative to clear the Black Sea of mines and ensure the security of maritime routes.

This was reported by Euractiv Bulgaria in the Ministry of Defense of Bulgaria.

The initiative remains open to joint action and participation of mine countermeasure forces and assets from other NATO member countries outside the Black Sea region.

"At present, mine countermeasure ships from three Black Sea NATO member states – Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey – will participate in the mine countermeasure maritime task group in the Black Sea," Euractiv reported in the ministry.

The Bulgarian government emphasizes that the group's activities will not be directed against any other country, and the operation to demine the Black Sea is expected to improve cooperation and neighborly relations among participants.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on Thursday, after which the process of operational planning will begin, aimed at developing detailed documents and instructions for the group's actions. This process may take several months.