The mine clearance action in the Black Sea, carried out jointly by the naval forces of Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria, will be operationalized shortly, the Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said Tuesday, in a joint statement delivered alongside Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the end of official meetings held at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.

„Both Romania and Turkey have significant investments in energy in the Black Sea. That is why it is very important for our countries to act together to ensure security in the Black Sea and protect these investments. It is for the first time when the allies bordering the Black Sea take the decision to jointly solve a serious problem of security and safety of naval transport,” Marcel Ciolacu said.

„And here I want to congratulate president Erdogan for his leadership and vision. Turkey’s remarkable efforts made possible that agreement to transit Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, this effort being later taken over by Romania. I want Romania and Turkey to continue to act together, both in terms of assistance to Ukraine and in terms of involvement in post-war reconstruction,” Ciolacu said.

„I also discussed with Mr. president the situation in the Middle East and we agree that we are facing a human tragedy in Gaza. It is our duty, as humans first of all, to ensure humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip and to contribute to stopping the loss of human lives among the civilian population,” Ciolacu stressed.

„I also assured president Erdogan that Romania will continue to facilitate dialogue between Turkey and the European Union, both as a candidate state for accession and as a key partner of the EU in many important areas,” Ciolacu added.

AGERPRES