On 1 March 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krišjānis Kariņš, joined a video conference with his counterparts from Bulgaria, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, and Romania. for a discussion on current developments in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea regions, including a greater involvement of NATO bodies in the strengthening of the security of those regions. The video conference was held at the initiative of the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Mariya Gabriel.
Since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began on 24 February 2022, safe navigation in the Black Sea has been under a serious threat due to incidents caused by Russia. Certain risks have also been observed in the Baltic Sea.
“Given that Russia’s threat does not end at the borders of Ukraine and affects the entire Euro-Atlantic space, coordination between NATO countries is of particular importance. I emphasized that successful cooperation between the countries in the Baltic and Black Sea region is a precondition for restricting in Russia successfully,” Krišjānis Kariņš noted.
With Finland and Sweden joining NATO and thereby reducing the influence of the Russian navy in the Baltic Sea, security has increased across the region. Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Romania, for their part, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Task Force to Combat Sea Mines in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea). At the initial stages of the invasion, the Russian navy laid sea mines along the Black Sea coast, which pose threat to navigation and curb the efforts of Ukraine to break Russia’s sea blockade. The mine countermeasures task force is to supervise the operations of the demining mission in the Black Sea.
