European Parliament has called on EU to launch naval operation in Black Sea
The European Parliament has called on the European Union to consider the possibility of conducting a naval operation in the Black Sea.
This was reported by the European Parliament’s press service, according to Censor.NET.
Details
"Strongly condemning the latest deadly strikes off the coast of Bulgaria and Romania, as well as repeated violations of Romanian airspace, Parliament holds Russia responsible for attacking civilian vessels and for escalating its war of aggression against Ukraine into the western Black Sea," the statement said.
The document also calls on EU countries, in cooperation with NATO, to support Bulgaria and Romania in the early detection and tracking of hostile drones that pose a threat to shipping in the Black Sea.
The MEPs also call on the EU to swiftly implement the initiative to establish a maritime security centre in the Black Sea.
"MEPs also call for unspent EU funds in the so-called SAFE instrument to be used to help Romania and Bulgaria to tackle these challenges while stressing that the future EU long-term budget must cater for a wide range of security and defence needs, including in the Black Sea region," the statement reads.
The resolution was supported by 432 votes in favour. 52 MEPs voted against, whilst 88 abstained.
The European Parliament also expressed concern over the Bulgarian government’s ambiguous stance on the Russian threat. Sofia is being urged to stop delaying its participation in the NATO initiative to counter hostile drones.
Attacks on vessels near Bulgaria
- As a reminder, on the night of 13 October, three drones attacked the Chelsea 3, a Maltese-flagged vessel registered in Odesa. The incident took place approximately 33 kilometres off the Bulgarian coast.
- All 15 crew members, including seven Ukrainians, were rescued and taken to the port of Varna. Five seafarers required medical attention.
- Another vessel was attacked approximately 31.4 kilometres off the Bulgarian coast. It sank, but one crew member was rescued.
- Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that there is currently no reliable information on the origin of the drones, but suggested that the attacks may be in Russia’s interests.
- In light of the incidents, Bulgaria has decided to summon the Russian ambassador and has appealed to its NATO and EU partners for assistance in investigating the attacks and stepping up surveillance of its air and maritime space.
