Bulgaria will take action to refer the matter to the UN Security Council due to the increased number of attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea. Our country is also working to include an emergency item on shipping security in the agenda of the upcoming European Council. The activation of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty is not ruled out, but such a step must be carefully assessed and would have greater weight if taken jointly by several countries. This was stated by President Iliana Yotova to NOVA after the attacks on two merchant ships off the Bulgarian coast.
The head of state explained that the goal of diplomatic efforts is to achieve an end to the attacks and to guarantee safe navigation in the entire Black Sea basin, and not just in the corridor used by Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.
„These are measures aimed at imposing a moratorium on the use of drones and ending any hostilities in the entire Black Sea basin. It is not just about our corridor, because you understand that this is not possible and will not lead to any results“, Yotova emphasized.
She announced that Bulgaria will also seek assistance from the United Nations. „In order to ensure safe navigation, we will refer this matter to the UN Security Council. It is more complicated there, because Russia is involved there and it will most likely have a veto. But despite everything, we, through the UN Maritime Agency, will do everything to get this issue into the Council“, the president said.
In her words, the security of the Black Sea has significance far beyond the countries located on its shores. “The Black Sea is a guarantee for literally feeding Africa, Asia. This is an extremely important food corridor“, Yotova pointed out.
Asked whether our country is considering activating Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides for consultations between allies in the event of a threat to the territorial integrity, political independence or security of a member state, the president called for caution. “We must be very careful with Article 4. As you can see, with many more similar incidents, Turkey, although a NATO member, has not triggered Article 4, nor has Romania“, she pointed out.
Yotova explained that Bulgaria already uses a number of coordination mechanisms with allies, which in practice fulfill part of the goals of such consultations.
However, the President did not rule out the possibility that the issue will be raised officially at a later stage. “However, we have another option. After considering this extraordinary item at the Brussels summit, if it is decided to trigger Article 4, it would be much stronger for this to be done by a group of countries, including Bulgaria and Romania“, Yotova said.
The President announced that intensive diplomatic talks and coordination with Romania and Turkey were held throughout the day. “The whole day was dedicated to diplomatic talks, coordination with our Romanian colleagues, with the Turkish colleagues. I have a conversation with the Romanian president this afternoon to finalize our actions“, she explained.
Bulgaria will insist that security in the Black Sea be considered as a separate issue at the upcoming meeting of the European Council on October 15 and 16.
“Our desire, based on a common text, is to refer the matter to the European Council, which will meet on October 15 and 16. Together, we will request an emergency item specifically for the Black Sea. Not the Black Sea and what is happening there in the context of the war between Russia and Ukraine, but a special emergency point on which we will also ask for the opinion of our colleagues from the European Union,“ Yotova pointed out.
According to her, a possible common European position could serve as a basis for subsequent negotiations with the other countries of the Black Sea basin.
“The three countries are currently determining this route through the exclusive economic zone and, as you can see, the latest attacks are precisely in this corridor“, she noted, referring to Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.
Yotova reported that the attacks in the Black Sea were also discussed at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, at which NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke.
“Today there was a special item at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council, at which Mr. Rutte also spoke. Two groups of measures are planned for Bulgaria. One is related to the investigation and the possibility of using NATO funds to inspect the ships that have sunk, and the second - with additional means of protection, such as video surveillance and other security and support systems“, explained the president.
The head of state expressed gratitude to the teams involved in rescuing the sailors after the attacks. “I want to thank the rescue teams because they responded first. The most important task was to save as many sailors from the two ships as possible. Unfortunately, everyone was rescued from one ship, and from the other, my information is about five rescued sailors“, said Yotova.
She explained that it was the need for an immediate response that necessitated the convening of a security meeting in the early hours. “This was the most important task. That is why a security council was convened very early in the morning. This is the place where these operational tasks are taken, which are addressed to the various services and ministries, so that we can do the necessary in the first minutes“, the president emphasized.
It was earlier reported that the CHELSEA-3 ship, flying the Maltese flag, was attacked by drones near the Bulgarian coast, but all 15 sailors on board were rescued. The second vessel - HS Dignity, flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau, sank after the attack. Five of its 16-member crew were rescued, and the search for the remaining 11 continues.
Both ships were traveling without cargo. The reasons for the attacks and the origin of the drones are still being clarified.
Earlier today, President Iliana Yotova condemned the attacks on the two merchant ships in the Black Sea, describing them as a gross violation of international humanitarian and maritime law. According to her, the increasing incidents off the Bulgarian coast threaten freedom of navigation, supply chains and national security.
The head of state insisted on a swift investigation of the attacks, diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and immediate implementation of the recommendations of the National Security Advisory Council, held on October 7. Yotova also announced that she would talk with European leaders to develop a common position and put the issue for an extraordinary discussion in the Council.