site.btaBulgaria Signs UN Ocean Treaty on Areas beyond National Jurisdiction

By decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel signed for Bulgaria the Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction at an official ceremony at the UN headquarters on Wednesday.

The signing of the Agreement is part of Bulgaria's international commitments in the field of oceans and the law of the sea, codified in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Agreement will enter into force 120 days after the deposit of 60 instruments of ratification.

Gabriel said that by signing the Agreement, Bulgaria shows consistency in its policies as an EU member state and a leader in protecting the world's oceans. She expressed gratitude to the Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov and his team for their work on signing the Agreement.