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.



Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
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Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)

Pakistan's military shot down an Indian drone along the de facto Kashmir border, state radio in Islamabad reported on Tuesday, a week after the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested region in years.

The Indian army also said that both sides exchanged fire for a fifth straight night along the Line of Control (LoC), a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts, AFP said.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan on the exchange of fire but state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported that the military had shot down an Indian "quadcopter", calling it a violation of its airspace.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 in which 26 men were killed.

Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, diplomatic barbs, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.

The unmanned Indian aircraft had attempted to conduct surveillance along the LoC in the Manawar Sector of the Bhimber area, the Radio Pakistan report said.

It did not say when the incident happened. There was no comment from New Delhi.

India said the "Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control" overnight Monday to Tuesday. The gunfire took place in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as in the Akhnoor sector, it said.

The Indian army said its troops had "responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation". There were no reports of casualties.

India has said Tuesday is the deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave.

'Exercise restraint'

Analysts say they fear bellicose statements will escalate into possible military action.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men -- two Pakistanis and an Indian -- who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organization.

They have announced a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest and carried out sweeping detentions seeking anyone suspected of links to the killers.

The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show "maximum restraint", while China, which shares a border with both India and Pakistan, on Tuesday repeated its call on both sides to "exercise restraint".

"Both India and Pakistan are important countries in South Asia. Their harmonious coexistence is crucial to the peace, stability and development of the region," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

US President Donald Trump downplayed tensions, saying on Friday the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".