Romania, Bulgaria and Türkiye expand the MCM Black Sea TG Missions

Romania, Bulgaria and Türkiye expand the MCM Black Sea TG Missions

As part of the Ankara NATO Summit, Minister of National Defence signed an amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Romania, Bulgaria, and Türkiye regarding the establishment of the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group (MCM Black Sea TG), aimed at extending the group's missions to include the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.

The signing of the document during the NATO Summit emphasized the shared commitment of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey to strengthening security in the Black Sea and enhancing Allied cooperation in the maritime field.

Protecting critical infrastructure in the Black Sea requires a complex, integrated, and long-term approach; the MCM Black Sea TG stands as a proof of the regional partners' interoperability and an initiative actively contributing to strengthening security in the Black Sea basin. Through the missions conducted by the Romanian Naval Forces alongside their regional partners, a permanent naval presence is maintained within the area of ​​responsibility - including throughout Romania's entire Exclusive Economic Zone - serving not only as a deterrent but also as an immediate response tool.

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The Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group was signed on January 11th, 2024, by the defence ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, launching the first trilateral initiative of this kind of the three allied Black Sea littoral states.

The primary mission of the MCM Black Sea TG is to ensure freedom of navigation in Black Sea waters through surveillance missions, actions to neutralize potential threats to maritime traffic, and related search and rescue operations at sea.

Since the group was rendered operational on July 1st, 2024, MCM Black Sea TG has carried out ten activations. Command is exercised on a rotating basis for six-month terms; Romania is scheduled to hold command from July 9th, 2025, to January 8th, 2026. Currently, the TG's command is held by Turkey, with Bulgaria set to take over starting tomorrow, July 9th.

The M 271 "Căpitan Constantin Dumitrescu" Minehunter will participate in the 11th activation of the MCM BS TG from July 9th to 24, 2026, with the primary mission of monitoring the maritime area of ​​responsibility and ensuring freedom of navigation in the maritime zones where training activities for the Multinational exercise BREEZE 2026 will be conducted.

The Press Office