Turkish MFA summons reps of Ukrainian and Russian diplomatic missions ‘due to spread of war in Black Sea’ – media

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned representatives of the diplomatic missions of Ukraine and Russia "in connection with attacks on ships in the Black Sea," Turkish news channel A Haber reports.

According to the information, the two countries once again emphasized that Ankara "does not want" similar conflicts in the Black Sea, according to a message posted on the TV channel's website.

Commenting on the attacks on ships sailing in the international waters of the Black Sea, Fuat Oktay, Chairman of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, said that "the spread of war, especially in the Black Sea, to civilian transport is a cause for concern."

"The spread of the conflict to our country's exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable. Such attacks pose an extreme threat to all coastal states in terms of maritime transport and the safety of life and property. Necessary negotiations are underway with the parties to this matter. It is important that the Black Sea remains a zone of peace for all coastal states. In this context, Turkey continues its efforts and contribution to achieving a ceasefire and peace that would be acceptable to both countries by engaging the two warring parties in negotiations," Oktay stated.

As reported, on November 29, SBU Sea Baby naval drones struck two sanctioned oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet," in the Black Sea. This was a joint operation between the 13th Main Directorate of the SBU's Military Counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy, an SBU source told Interfax-Ukraine.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed "concern" over the attack by unmanned boats on sanctioned oil tankers in the Black Sea, which occurred in Turkey's exclusive economic zone. Later, on December 2, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the war between Russia and Ukraine had led to a threat to navigation in the Black Sea, in particular due to attacks on Russian merchant vessels, Anadolu reports.