“We jointly decided to sign a protocol between three countries in order to fight more effectively against the mine danger in the Black Sea by improving our existing close cooperation and coordination,” Guler said at a news conference in Istanbul with Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar and Bulgarian Deputy Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov.

Zapryanov said mines pose a “danger to ports, communication networks and key water infrastructure.

The deal comes after Ankara last week refused entry to the Black Sea for two minesweeping vessels donated to Ukraine by Britain.

At the start of the war in February 2022, Turkey enacted the 1936 Montreux Convention to block the passage of Russian or Ukrainian ships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.

Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for stray mines that have washed up near the Black Sea coast.

The initiative aims to make shipping safer, including for vessels transporting grain from Ukraine.

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