The Black Sea has received a new "citizenship" - European. This was announced by the head of European Union diplomacy Federica Mogherini.. "Do not forget that the Black Sea is European, and we do not want to witness a new military buildup in our immediate neighborhood. Therefore, we will continue to pressure to respect international laws and conventions and support Ukraine against the background of these challenges, "the Italian said during a speech at the European Parliament. Her words are quoted by the Ukrainian service of American Radio Liberty.. According to Mogherini, "the militarization of the Sea of ??Azov is not in the interests of any of the parties, it can only destabilize a wide region of the Black Sea". She recalled that six months ago, Russia began to thoroughly inspect all cargo ships en route from Ukrainian ports from Azov and bound for them.. "These inspections have led to long delays that have increased dramatically in recent months.

This affects the cost of delivery not only for Ukrainian exporters, but also for vessels flying the flag of EU member states, ”the European diplomat quotes RIA Novosti.. According to her, to date, "more than 200 ships, both under the Ukrainian and international flags, have been affected by this control from Russia, which in some cases lasted several days.". The aggravation of the situation in the Azov Sea began with a pirate capture in March of this year by the Ukrainian border guards of the Russian Kerch trawler “Nord”. Against his captain, Kiev accused of allegedly illegally visiting the Crimea "for the purpose of causing harm to the public interest". In August, in the port of Kherson, the tanker "Mechanic Pogodin" was detained. As for the Black Sea, Signor Mogherini should have remembered that the water border between Europe and Asia passes along its surface..