ISTANBUL, August 9. /TASS/. Turkey is closely following the situation in the Black Sea, where attacks on its commercial ships have intensified, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the Anadolu news agency.

"We are closely monitoring the situation. The proportion of Turkish ships in the overall number of attacked vessels is relatively low, but it is still a lot. We are closely monitoring the situation," he said.

He also said that Turkey had proposed a moratorium on military actions, including in the context of security in the Black Sea, to the parties to the Ukrainian conflict.

The Turkish foreign ministry earlier expressed serious concern over the escalation of the conflict in the Black Sea following Ukraine’s attacks on the Nadezhda and Yasar vessels near Novorossiysk on August 3. It warned about serious consequences, including in terms of food security, if no measures are taken to contain it.