Turkish and foreign military representatives will meet to discuss security in the Black Sea

Turkish and foreign military representatives are meeting to discuss security in the Black Sea following a possible ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that foreign military representatives would hold talks at the Turkish navy headquarters on April 15-16.

The statement did not specify which countries would attend the meeting. However, the Defense Ministry said that Russia and Ukraine will not attend the meeting.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement that the meeting was aimed at discussing military planning to maintain peace in the region, especially in the face of a possible ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

The meeting builds on previous cooperation, including the creation of the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Working Group last July. The initiative, led by Turkey in coordination with Romania and Bulgaria, is aimed at addressing the threat of drifting mines following the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Kremlin on March 25 released the results of talks between a Russian-US expert group in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in which the two sides agreed to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, refrain from the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes, in line with earlier statements by the White House.

However, the Russian side also mentioned that the Black Sea agreement can only take effect if a series of conditions are met, including the lifting of sanctions on financial institutions and companies involved in agricultural exports such as Russian Agricultural Bank. The White House statement, while promising to help Russia resume agricultural and fertilizer exports, did not link that to the implementation of the Black Sea deal.

The Kremlin also announced that Russia has agreed with the United States to suspend the list of Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities, which will take effect from March 18 for a period of 30 days. The period may be extended with the consent of both Russia and Ukraine. If either party violates the agreement, the other party has the right to stop performing the relevant obligations.