INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Black Sea Cooperation Forum

The Meetings of the Leaders of the Black Sea Littoral States Border/Coast Guard Agencies began with the initiative and under the leadership of Turkey in 2000, with Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation and Ukraine.

The Black Sea Cooperation Forum (BCSF) was established following the “Agreement on Cooperation among the Border/Coast Guard Authorities of the Black Sea Littoral States” signed during the 7th Meeting of the Leaders of the Black Sea Littoral States Border/Coast Guard Agencies in Istanbul, on November 7-9, 2006.

Some of the goals of the BSCF;

• To develop peace and stability in the Black Sea among the Black Sea Littoral States on the basis of mutual trust and security,
• To develop the existing cooperation between the Border/Coast Guard Authorities of the parties in order to prevent flow of narcotics, psychotropic substances and their derivatives, ammunition, explosives, poisonous and heavy illicit radioactive substances, and to interdict petroleum smuggling, illegal migration, terrorist operations and other illegal activities while fostering safety and security of the navigation in the Black Sea,
• To establish cooperation in order to protect the natural resources of the Black Sea, prevent the violation of laws on fisheries and increase the effectiveness of search and rescue activities.

Some of the activities conducted under this scope are as follows:

·         Visits between headquarters, institutions and units,

·         Joint Commission Meetings,

·         Sending observers to the operations,

·         Provision of trainings to the personnel of the correspondent Coast Guard Agencies in the affiliates of Coast Guard Command

·         The exchange of units and personnel,

·         Port calls by coast guard boats,

·         In-place training support, on-the-job training in units, headquarters and institutions.

Bilateral Relations

In addition to the cooperative activities undertaken under “Agreement on Cooperation among the Border/Coast Guard Authorities of the Black Sea Littoral States”, bilateral relations have been established with the Coast Guard Agencies of Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Britain, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Turkmenistan, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, United States, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russian Federation, Yemen, Ukraine for the purpose of exchanging information and experience in terms of coast guard missions.  

Some of the activities conducted under this scope are as follows:

·         Visits between headquarters, institutions and units,

·         Sending observers to the operations,

·         Provision of trainings to the personnel of the correspondent Coast Guard Agencies in the affiliates of Coast Guard Command

·         The exchange of units and personnel,

·         Port calls by coast guard boats,

·         In-place training support, on-the-job training in units, headquarters and institutions.