Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, during a phone conversation with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, called for uniting efforts to stop attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea and investigate the incidents.
elchi reports that the press service of the Bulgarian Government released this information.
The heads of NATO and the European Commission promised to assist in investigating the recent incident in the Black Sea. Radev expressed gratitude to the EU and NATO leaders for Bulgaria’s prompt reaction in rescuing the sailors, for the solidarity shown regarding the attacks on ships near the country’s territorial waters, and for its readiness to help clarify the incidents.
The Prime Minister also announced that he would begin negotiations with Romania and Turkey to develop joint proposals for ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
Last night, merchant ships were subjected to a drone attack near the northern coast of Bulgaria. The ship “Chelsea 3”, sailing under the flag of Malta, managed to stay afloat. The entire crew was successfully evacuated to the city of Varna by border guard cutters. Among the crew members were 8 citizens of Azerbaijan, as well as citizens of other countries. It was announced that they were also injured during the attack.
The second ship, “HS Dignity”, sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, sank. Five crew members of the ship were rescued. The rescue operation is ongoing, and the fate of 11 people is still unknown. An official notification about the incident has been sent to all ships in the area with a request to intensify observation in the search for the missing crew members. The missing individuals are reported to be citizens of Syria and Egypt.
Ukraine has accused Russia of drone attacks on merchant ships.