Black Sea security ties

Black Sea security ties

Part of: Prelims and GS II – International Relations 

Context U.S. Defence Secretary urged more defence cooperation among Black Sea allies ahead of a NATO Ministers summit.

The region is vulnerable to Russian aggression. Thus, the action was needed by littoral states of the Black Sea amid Russia “militarisation” of the region. 

About the Black Sea

• The Black Sea, also known as the Euxine Sea, is one of the major water bodies and a famous inland sea of the world.
• It is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
• The Black Sea is also connected to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch.
• The bordering countries of Black Sea are: Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. 

About North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949. 
• Established by: United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
• Article 5: It states that if one member of the alliance is attacked in Europe or North America, it is to be considered an attack on all members. That effectively put Western Europe under the “nuclear umbrella” of the US.
• As of 2019, there are 29 member states, with Montenegro becoming the latest member to join the alliance in 2017.