The Minister of National Defense signed, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara, the Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Romania, the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Government of the Republic of Turkey, on the establishment of the Task Force for Combating Marine Mines in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea TG), in order to extend the missions to the protection of critical submarine infrastructure.
The signing of the document at the NATO Summit highlighted the joint commitment of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey to strengthen security in the Black Sea and to develop allied cooperation in the maritime field.
The protection of critical infrastructure in the Black Sea requires a complex, integrated and long-term approach, and the MCM Black Sea TG is a proof of the interoperability of regional partners and an initiative that actively contributes to strengthening security in the Black Sea basin. Through the missions carried out by the Romanian Naval Forces, together with partners in the region, the maintenance of a permanent naval presence around responsibility, including in the entire Exclusive Economic Zone of Romania, is ensured, not only as a deterrent measure, but also as an instrument of immediate reaction.
The Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Task Force for Combating Marine Mines in the Black Sea was signed on January 11, 2024, by the Ministers of Defense of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, establishing the first trilateral initiative of this type of the three allied states bordering the Black Sea.
The main mission of MCM Black Sea TG is to ensure freedom of navigation in the waters of the Black Sea, through surveillance missions, actions to neutralize possible dangers to maritime traffic, as well as related search and rescue activities at sea.
Since the operationalization of the group, on July 1, 2024, ten activations of MCM Black Sea have been carried out. The command is exercised on a rotating basis, for six-month mandates, Romania holding it between July 9, 2025, and January 8, 2026. Currently, the order is provided by Turkey, and it will be taken over by Bulgaria starting tomorrow, July 9.
The minesweeper M 271 “Captain Constantin Dumitrescu” will participate, between July 9 and 24, 2026, in the XIth activation of MCM BS TG, with the main mission of monitoring the area of maritime responsibility and ensuring freedom of navigation in the maritime districts where training activities will be carried out within the multinational exercise BREEZE 2026.