Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar announced that minesweepers and maritime patrol aircraft were put on high alert to neutralize mines in the country’s territorial waters.
According to Akar, every report about the likely presence of mines is taken into account, appropriate measures are taken to neutralize dangerous objects.
“When a mine is found, SAS specialists move to the area of the incident by sea or by helicopter. Mines are safely neutralized. Fortunately, all steps on this issue have been successful,” Akar said.
The Turkish minister recalled that Turkey had previously distributed navigation notices (Notice to Mariners) in order to warn the captains of all ships about the likelihood of a mine threat.
The Minister noted that data on the number of sea mines vary. “Turkey has taken security measures. Steps in this direction are ongoing. It is too early to say for sure whether these are mines dropped into the sea off the coast of Ukraine, or whether these are other explosive devices. The investigation is ongoing,” the head of the defense department said.
He indicated that Turkey is not in contact with Russia or Ukraine on the issue of finding mines in the country’s territorial waters. “We have established close ties with neighboring Romania and Bulgaria. Cooperation with Russia is a somewhat different issue, in particular, concerning the coordination of merchant shipping in the Black Sea,” he said.