Ministers and chiefs of defence from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey will meet in Sofia to discuss security and defence in the Black Sea region, Bulgaria's defence ministry said.
Prime minister Rumen Radev told parliament about the meeting in mid-October and said it would take place "next week". A few days later, defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov said he expected it soon. Radev also told MPs about the drone attacks on 6 and 13 October, in which two of the ships hit in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone sank.
The previous development: Stoyanov: Black Sea conflict is best solved through diplomacy
Stoyanov and Adm Emil Eftimov, Bulgaria's chief of defence, will represent Bulgaria. Romania is sending minister Stefan-Radu Oprea and deputy chief of defence Lt Gen Dragos-Dumitru Iacob. Turkey is sending minister Yasar Guler and chief of defence Gen Selcuk Bayraktaroglu. Each will bring a delegation.
The three ministers are expected to make statements after the plenary talks.
Stoyanov took the initiative to have the three ministers speak before the meeting. Earlier in October he spoke by phone with his Romanian and Turkish counterparts. The chiefs of defence are also in contact.
The meeting follows a series of drone attacks on ships in the region, linked to Russia's war against Ukraine. In the past 10 days, at least five cargo ships have been hit near the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts, and at least 23 sailors have been reported missing or dead.
Last week, Nato said it would send additional maritime surveillance aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea.
Radev said Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey already have an intensive partnership in the Multinational Mine Countermeasures Group, and that communication between them is in place and working. The prime minister said the meeting aims to improve co-ordination in monitoring and situational awareness, and to speed up the response to such incidents.
Stoyanov said the first task is to draw up a single strategy for action in the Black Sea region, together with Romania and Turkey.