Bulgaria calls for total demilitarisation of Black Sea

Bulgaria has explicitly dismissed Romania's proposal to establish a NATO fleet in the Black Sea. In January, Romania called for a flotilla to address Russia's territorial aggression after it annexed the Crimea in 2014. However, Bulgaria has called for a total demilitarisation of the region. Turkey, which was initially supportive along with Ukraine, is now also lukewarm on the proposal. NATO's Black Sea naval force was supposed to be one of the key measures to contain Russia, although, in accordance with the 1936 Montreux Convention, the only NATO members that could create a permanent fleet are Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Bulgaria says its decision was not due to pressure from Moscow but based on its wariness of Turkey's foreign policy and because Bulgaria's leadership has received virtually nothing from the West in return for dropping lucrative bilateral deals with Russia. NATO will make its final decisions in October.

Romania and Bulgaria are deeply divided over maritime security in the Black Sea; Turkey is not making a clear stand.

Far away from Warsaw NATO’s Summit (8-9 July) and in Bulgaria’s former historical capital, Veliko Tarnovo, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov proposed on Saturday the demilitarization of the Black Sea, “without ships and submarines,” novinite reports.

Borisov’s statement comes as article 23 of the Warsaw Summit Communiqué spoke of strengthening “… maritime posture and comprehensiv...