Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar expressed suspicion that mines could be deliberately planted in the Black Sea in an attempt to pave the way for NATO minesweepers to enter these waters.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, speaking to members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Central Judicial Council (MKYK) at the meeting, said: “We suspect the mines were deliberately placed. plan for the exit of NATO sappers to the Black Sea.
Akar’s speech at the party meeting contained important information about the development of the defense industry and the war in Ukraine, the Gurriet newspaper reports.
The minister said the possible plan could be aimed at putting pressure on Turkey, but Ankara is determined to abide by the Montreux Convention, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.
“We don’t know who left the mines in the Black Sea. They are Russian-made, but the question of which country left them is being investigated. There are reports that there are about 400 mines. We have talked to the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities. They are also watching,” — Akar said. “Some argue that the mines could have been left in the Black Sea as part of a plan to bring NATO minesweepers into the Black Sea to put pressure on Turkey,” Akar said. “But we will follow the rules of Montreux. We will not allow warships in the Black Sea. We will not allow the Black Sea to be drawn into the war,” he told party members.
The Minister also stressed that these mines are usually blocked when disconnected from the rope, however, Turkey noted that such a system does not exist in the mines destroyed by the Turkish military. “So it is possible that they were left so deliberately. We are investigating this,” he added.