Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania to Sign Black Sea Demining Deal

Russia mined Ukraine's Black Sea coastline in the early stages of its invasion last year - AFP
Russia mined Ukraine's Black Sea coastline in the early stages of its invasion last year - AFP
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Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania to Sign Black Sea Demining Deal

Russia mined Ukraine's Black Sea coastline in the early stages of its invasion last year - AFP
Russia mined Ukraine's Black Sea coastline in the early stages of its invasion last year - AFP

NATO members Türkiye, Bulgaria and Romania will sign this week a preliminary agreement on demining the Black Sea, officials said on Wednesday.

The Russian navy mined Ukraine's Black Sea coastline in the early stages of its invasion last year.

Some of the mines have since washed up in the Black Sea waters of the three NATO member states, endangering shipping and complicating Ukraine's efforts to break through the Russian naval blockade.

Top defense officials from Türkiye, Bulgaria and Romania will sign a memorandum of understanding in Istanbul on Thursday establishing Mine Countermeasures Naval Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), which will oversee the demining mission's operations, officials from the three countries said.

"MCM Black Sea's activities are entirely peaceful in nature and are not directed against any other country," the Bulgarian defense ministry said.

"It is expected to help improve interaction and good neighbourly relations between the participants, without replacing NATO's presence and ongoing deterrence and defense activities in the Black Sea area."

The Romanian defense ministry said the initiative will have a rotating command structure and "contribute to strengthening the allied posture of deterrence and defence of the eastern flank."

According to AFP, neither Russia nor Ukraine immediately commented on the announcement.

Türkiye controls Black Sea maritime and naval traffic, which must pass Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait and the Dardanelles before reaching the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

With the outbreak of war, Türkiye invoked a clause of an international treaty called the Montreux Convention banning the passage of naval vessels from non-literal countries to and from the Black Sea.

The measure prevented Britain from following through on plans last month to send two mine hunting ships into the region to help Ukraine's efforts to export its grain.



Taiwan President Discusses US Tariff Response with Tech Execs

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award in Taipei, Taiwan December 10, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award in Taipei, Taiwan December 10, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
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Taiwan President Discusses US Tariff Response with Tech Execs

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award in Taipei, Taiwan December 10, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award in Taipei, Taiwan December 10, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te met tech executives on Saturday to discuss how to respond to new US tariffs, promising to ensure Taiwan's global competitiveness and safeguard the island's interests.

President Donald Trump announced across-the-board import tariffs on Wednesday with much higher duties for dozens of trading partners, including Taiwan, which runs a large trade surplus with the United States and is facing a 32% duty on its products.

The US tariffs, however, do not apply to semiconductors, a major Taiwanese export.

Lai met the executives at his official residence to discuss the response to "the global economic and trade challenges brought about by the reciprocal tariff policy", his spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement, Reuters reported.

She did not say which companies were present, only that there were several representatives from the information and communications technology, or ICT, industry.

Lai "hopes to give industry the greatest support, stabilise the economic situation, ensure Taiwan's industry's global competitiveness, and safeguard our country's national interests and the continued steady progress of our economy", Kuo said.

Taiwan is home to TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker and an important supplier to companies including Apple and Nvidia.

TSMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it attended the meeting. TSMC is in its quiet period ahead of first quarter earnings announcement on April 17.

On Friday, Taiwan's government unveiled T$88 billion ($2.67 billion) in financial help for companies and industries to deal with the impact of the US tariffs.

Taiwan, which says the tariffs are unreasonable, has said it will discuss them with the United States and has not announced any retaliatory tariffs.