Ankara has proposed to Moscow and Kyiv a mechanism that would prevent strikes on merchant ships in the Black Sea, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
"Turkey has proposed to Russia and Ukraine the creation of a special mechanism that would prevent attacks," he said in an interview with Anadolu agency.
According to him, the conflict in Ukraine has gradually turned into a situation threatening civilian shipping and commercial transportation.
"We warn the parties that attacks on Turkish ships or ships owned by Turkish owners, as well as ships with Turkish crews, are becoming a serious problem for us," he noted.
The dry cargo ship MV Güllük under the Turkish flag was attacked by a drone off the coast of Novorossiysk port the day before. The Gemi Trafık regulator noted Kyiv's involvement in this.
On Monday, the vessel MV Reyhan Sarı loaded with vegetables and fruits was also attacked by drones, with four people injured. After that, Turkey restricted the passage of commercial vessels through the Dardanelles Strait to the Black Sea, and Turkish exporters demanded that authorities stop the attacks.