Bulgaria Won’t Join NATO Black Sea Fleet

NATO’s non-stop efforts to build up more and more military forces around Russia’s frontier has mostly centered on the Baltic Sea, but has also seen some planning take place a bit further south, with NATO’s western members talking up the idea of a Black Sea Fleet to confront Russia there.

This is problematic, because the Montreaux Convention severely limits the deployment of ships from nations without a coast on the Black Sea. The three NATO members with such a coast are Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria.

And Bulgaria wants no part of it. Speaking today at a press conference, Bulgarian PM Boiko Borisov said his government did not want to see military frigates sailing past its important tourist resorts, and that Bulgaria is a peaceful country with no designs on setting up a fleet to target anyone.

“I always say I want the Black Sea to see sailboats, yachts, large boats with tourists, and not become an arena of military action,” he added. Russia had expressed opposition to a buildup in the Black Sea, saying it threatened regional stability. Russia has a significant fleet based in Sevastopol, in the Crimea.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.