EU will remove Russia from control of safety of navigation in the Black Sea — Kallas

The European Union expects to monitor the safety of navigation in the Black Sea with the participation of all states in the region, except Russia. This was stated by the head of the EU diplomatic service Kaya Kallas, representing in The so-called new strategy in Brussels The EU for the Black Sea region, which was developed by the European Commission.

"The creation of the Black Sea Maritime Security hub will strengthen maritime security, the protection of critical infrastructure and marine ecology," Kallas said.

According to her, the participants of such a coalition should, in particular, organize "patrolling of critical infrastructure", as well as monitoring shipping and port activities.

"The EU needs a clear understanding of who is doing what in the Black Sea, it is also important to combat circumvention of sanctions against Russia," Callas said.

She also admitted that one of the tasks of the hub will be to track the movement of Russian tankers carrying oil and petroleum products under market contracts, ignoring attempts to The EU will set price ceilings for them.

Kallas clarified that the proposal is still raw and does not contain specifics.

"The European Commission will work with countries The EU to determine the appropriate location for the establishment of this hub and to develop a model for its operation. Its budget will depend entirely on decisions about the location and operating model of the hub," she said.

According to the documents of the European Commission, as part of the new strategy The EU will try to connect all the states of the region except Russia — Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Romania - to the work on the creation of a maritime security hub in the Black Sea. Kallas also suggested creating a specialized format for ministerial meetings of these countries to implement the strategy. The EU in practice.

In addition to the creation of a hub on the Black Sea, one of the stated goals of this strategy is the formation of a full-scale transport corridor for the EU to Central Asia and Transcaucasia.

The third priority of its strategy The EU calls "mine clearance at sea and assistance to coastal countries in the fight against post-war maritime problems." That is, the European Union also intends to establish cooperation with the coast guard services and anti-crisis agencies of the states of the region, TASS reports.

The strategy has yet to be approved by the Council The EU and the European Parliament, after which the European Commission will have the opportunity to develop its budget financing.