Ankara will continue to implement the Montreux Convention
Istanbul. February 28. INTERFAX - Turkey has informed other countries that it will not allow warships to pass through the Black Sea Straits at the moment, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
"Turkey has warned all coastal and non-coastal countries not to allow the passage of warships through the straits," Anadolu agency quoted him as saying.
The Minister noted that Turkey will continue to comply with the provisions of the Montreux Convention.
Earlier on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara plans to use the provisions of the Montreux Convention in such a way as to prevent further escalation of tensions in Ukraine.
The Montreux Convention in 1936 restored Turkey's sovereignty over the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits. It reserves the right for merchant ships of any countries to freely pass through these straits both in peacetime and in wartime.
In addition, in peacetime, the convention allows warships of any class belonging to the Black Sea States to freely pass through the straits. For warships of non-Black Sea states, there are restrictions on class, tonnage and time spent in the Black Sea.