MOSCOW, July 25-RIA Novosti. The situation in the Black Sea is "artificially inflated" by non-regional players, Moscow will closely monitor the implementation of the Montreux Convention, the Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti.
The ministry pointed to the special role of Turkey, which can control the passage of military vessels through the straits.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that Moscow conducts a regular dialogue with Ankara. In particular, Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the issues of proper implementation of the provisions of the treaty on June 30 in Antalya.
At the end of June, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan launched the construction of the Istanbul Canal, which will run parallel to the Bosphorus and connect the Black and Marmara Seas. The project started with the laying of one of the six bridges.
The project may become the largest infrastructure initiative in the history of the republic, but it is controversial both because of its economic feasibility and because of possible problems with the Montreux Convention on the status of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.
The document, adopted in 1936, preserves the freedom of passage through the straits for merchant ships of all countries, both in peacetime and in wartime. However, the regime of passage of warships is different in relation to the Black Sea and non-Black Sea States. Significant restrictions on the class and duration of stay have been introduced for warships of non-Black Sea powers.
