Bulgaristan Ulusal Güvenlik Danışma Konseyi'nden Karadeniz için geniş önlem paketi

The National Security Advisory Council had an emergency meeting. It talked about sea safety and the war in Ukraine. After the meeting, President Iliana Yotova shared the ideas. She said attacks on trade ships are growing. Drones hit some ships, and some ships sank. People have also died.

The council wants more watching with unmanned systems. It also wants to buy anti-drone systems. Bulgaria has to work closely with NATO and the EU. The council wants quick talks with Romania and Turkey. Bulgaria also wants the Black Sea countries to stop war actions there.

The council says the attacks on ships break international sea law. It wants a quick investigation to find who did it. After the investigation, the government will tell people the results. The package passed with a three-quarters majority. Representatives of three parliamentary groups voted no.

Bulgaria's National Security Advisory Council has met to discuss the growing military activity in the Black Sea. President Iliana Yotova said that attacks on merchant ships with air and sea drones are increasing. Some ships have been damaged or sunk, and people have died. She said that fewer ships are sailing, insurance costs are higher and the economy is losing money.

The council said that the attacks are a serious violation of international maritime law. It asked for an investigation to find out who is responsible. It also suggested more surveillance with unmanned systems and the purchase of anti-drone systems. These measures should be carried out in close cooperation with NATO and the European Union.

Bulgaria also wants urgent talks with Romania and Turkey. It will suggest that the EU develops a joint mechanism for free and safe shipping in the Black Sea. In addition, Bulgaria proposes a diplomatic effort for a moratorium on war actions in the Black Sea. Yotova said that Bulgaria should raise the issue at the EU summit on 15 and 16 October.

The proposals were accepted by a three-quarters majority, which is required by law. However, representatives of three parliamentary groups voted against them.

Bulgaria's National Security Advisory Council has assessed the serious escalation of military activity in the Black Sea and the growing risks to critical infrastructure. After the extraordinary meeting, President Iliana Yotova announced a broad package of recommendations. These include more surveillance with unmanned systems, the purchase of anti-drone equipment and more active use of NATO and EU capabilities.

According to Yotova, the meeting established that military actions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict had escalated. She said this threatens maritime security and free navigation in the Black Sea region. A steady rise in attacks on commercial ships by air and sea drones has been observed, and the consequences include damaged and sunken ships and loss of life. Yotova said the situation has restricted freedom of navigation and sharply reduced ship traffic. It has also raised insurance costs, caused economic losses and increased the danger of environmental pollution.

Participants agreed that unmanned technology has seriously changed the security picture. More advanced, longer-range unmanned systems significantly increase the threats to Bulgaria's critical infrastructure, which is located across the whole country, not only near the Black Sea. The Council strongly condemned the attacks on commercial ships as a serious violation of international maritime law. It called for an immediate investigation to identify those responsible, and the executive will inform the public about the results once it is complete.

Bulgaria proposes a joint European mechanism for safe shipping, urgent talks with Romania and Türkiye, and a diplomatic initiative for a moratorium on combat actions in the Black Sea. The Council also asked for faster modernisation of the Armed Forces, including the purchase of anti-drone systems with kinetic capability. The measures must be carried out in close cooperation with NATO and the European Union. If a serious accident creates a risk of an oil spill, the Council recommends using the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Bulgaria will also ask UN mechanisms for support in the technical and legal analysis of the incidents.

Yotova stressed that Bulgaria should raise the Black Sea issue in all European formats, including the EU summit on 15 and 16 October. The recommendations were adopted by the legally required three-quarters majority, but representatives of three parliamentary groups voted against them. So the Council took the necessary decisions, although the meeting also showed differences between political forces.

Bulgaria's Consultative Council for National Security has assessed the serious escalation of military activity in the Black Sea and the mounting risks to critical infrastructure. Following the extraordinary meeting, President Iliana Yotova announced a broad package of recommendations, including greater surveillance with unmanned systems, the acquisition of anti-drone equipment and more active use of NATO and EU resources. The proposals were adopted by the three-quarters majority required by law, although representatives of three parliamentary groups voted against them.

According to Yotova, the council established that military action in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has escalated, threatening maritime security and the freedom of navigation in the region. She noted a steady upward trend in attacks on commercial vessels by air and sea drones, whose consequences include damaged and sunken ships as well as loss of life. In her words, such developments have restricted maritime freedom, caused a sharp fall in shipping traffic, pushed up insurance costs and heightened the danger of environmental pollution.

The council strongly condemned the attacks on commercial ships as a grave violation of international maritime law and called for an immediate investigation to identify those responsible. Once it is complete, the executive will inform the public of the findings. It also recommended keeping the national maritime search and rescue system at a high level of readiness, so that the country can respond immediately to sinking ships, fires, crew evacuations or the threat of environmental damage.

The council further called for accelerating the modernisation of the Armed Forces, including anti-drone systems with kinetic capability, and for implementing the measures in close cooperation with NATO and the European Union. Yotova stressed that Bulgaria should mobilise its full membership capacity in the EU and NATO, and that the proposed steps are not at odds with the Montreux Convention governing passage through the Istanbul Strait.

Bulgaria will also propose that the EU develop a common framework mechanism for free and safe shipping in the Black Sea. In addition, the council recommended urgent talks with Romania and Turkey, both of which have a direct interest in protecting free navigation. Perhaps the most ambitious idea is a diplomatic initiative among the states bordering the Black Sea for a moratorium on acts of war there, which would turn the region into a shared security zone. Yotova added that Bulgaria should raise the issue in all European formats, including the EU summit on 15 and 16 October. Ultimately, the meeting showed that Bulgaria now regards Black Sea security as a problem demanding military, diplomatic, European and international action simultaneously.

Bulgaria's National Security Advisory Council has weighed up the serious escalation of military activity in the Black Sea and the mounting risks to critical infrastructure. Following an extraordinary meeting, President Iliana Yotova unveiled a sweeping package of recommendations, including greater surveillance by unmanned systems, the acquisition of anti-drone equipment and more active use of NATO and EU resources. Not only did the Council record an escalation of military action in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but it also concluded that this endangers maritime security and free navigation in the Black Sea region.

According to Yotova, attacks on merchant ships by aerial and naval drones have been rising steadily, leaving vessels damaged or sunk and lives lost. The consequences, she said, have been curtailed freedom of navigation, a sharp drop in shipping traffic, higher insurance costs, economic losses and a growing danger of environmental pollution. Participants agreed that unmanned technology has profoundly altered the security picture, and that more numerous, better equipped and longer-range systems considerably heighten the threat to infrastructure located across the entire country, not merely near the Black Sea.

The Council condemned the attacks on commercial vessels in the strongest terms as a grave violation of international maritime law and called for an immediate inquiry to identify those responsible. Once it is complete, the executive will inform the public of its findings. Among the recommendations is keeping the national maritime search and rescue system at a high state of readiness, a step directly linked to recent incidents in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone that called for action to rescue crews. The Council also proposed strengthening maritime awareness through unmanned aerial reconnaissance and accelerating the modernisation of the Armed Forces, including anti-drone systems with kinetic capability.

Bulgaria will propose that the European Union develop a common framework mechanism for free and safe shipping in the Black Sea. The Council also recommended urgent talks with Romania and Turkey to coordinate action against threats to commercial shipping. Perhaps the most far-reaching idea is that Bulgaria should take an active role in negotiating a moratorium on acts of war in the Black Sea among Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Turkey, and in turning the region into a shared security zone. Yotova stressed that Bulgaria should raise the issue in every European format, including the EU summit on 15 and 16 October. In her words, the country's greatest security guarantee is an immediate ceasefire and the use of every political and diplomatic channel to secure peace.

Consultations under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty were also discussed, but they were judged unproductive at this stage, since such matters are considered appropriate for the North Atlantic Council and would lead to no new measures. Yotova added that the proposed actions do not run counter to the Montreux Convention. The recommendations were adopted by the legally required three-quarters majority, yet representatives of three parliamentary groups voted against them. The vote thus laid bare differences between the political forces over how to assess the crisis and over some of the measures.