Bulgarian PM Rosen Zhelyazkov said the coordinating center would conduct continuous monitoring and issue early warnings of potential threats and hostile activity in the region. “The goal is to set guidelines for navigation and to monitor—both by air and by water—critical infrastructure and any potential hostile actions in the Black Sea region,

The two countries agree to ensure safe navigation of ships and eliminate the use of force in the Black Sea, the US says after talks in Riyadh.

Russia said on Tuesday the United States had agreed to help it lift a series of Western sanctions and restrictions on food, fertiliser and shipping companies as preconditions for a maritime security deal in the Black Sea.