ANKARA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Recent attacks in the Black Sea poses a serious threat to maritime safety and global food security, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on Monday, following a series of incidents involving commercial vessels, including Turkish-operated ships.
In a post on social media platform X, Yilmaz said the recent increase in attacks in the Black Sea "poses serious risks not only to life and property security but also to navigation safety and global food security."
He said Türkiye was working to restore safe navigation using "experience from the Black Sea Grain Initiative."
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye in 2022, facilitated the export of Ukrainian grain and other food products through the Black Sea amid Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Yilmaz's remarks came after a commercial vessel operated by a Turkish shipping company came under attack off Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk last week, leaving one sailor killed and eight others injured.
The attack was the latest in a series of incidents involving Turkish-linked commercial vessels in the Black Sea in recent months amid the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict. Türkiye has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining safe and uninterrupted commercial navigation in the Black Sea. ■