Bulgaria, Romania to push EU summit for halt to Black Sea drone attacks
Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova and Romania's Nicusor Dan will jointly call for an end to all drone warfare in the Black Sea and want the issue added as a special item at the EU summit.
Archive image · Photo: Bulgarian Presidency / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 bg (cropped and resized)
Bulgaria and Romania will jointly ask the European Union to press for a halt to all combat operations and drone use in the Black Sea, Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova said in Burgas on Wednesday after a phone call with Romanian President Nicusor Dan. "Our main demand is for a halt to all combat operations and use of drones in the Black Sea," she said. The two countries want Black Sea security added as a separate, extraordinary item at the upcoming EU summit.
The foreign ministries are drafting a joint paper seeking more maritime surveillance and help investigating the attacks. Both countries back a French proposal for a moratorium. Yotova said security could not be achieved without Russia and Ukraine and that Turkey could help through diplomatic channels. Dan wrote on X that the attacks were "a direct consequence" of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Bulgaria will also seek technical help from the European Maritime Safety Agency, including equipment to survey sunken ships. Yotova proposed using the BG-ALERT system to warn the public about dangerous debris at sea. The moves follow new drone strikes on merchant ships off Bulgaria's coast, one of which sank.