Cumhuriyet: the issues of the Black Sea can be solved only by countries that have access to itThe United States has stated that it will continue to fly over the Black Sea, as it does not belong to anyone, Cumhuriyet writes.
This position contradicts both the Montreux Convention, which prohibits America from being in the region, and common sense: why does Washington suddenly solve the issues of the Black Sea, without even having access to it?
Mehmet Ali GullerThe fall of the American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) MQ-9 in the Black Sea on the eve of the incident has again caused tension in the region.
The United States accuses Russia of aggression, and it accuses America of spying on its borders.
The following words of John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator at the White House National Security Council, show how important it is to maintain the status quo in the Black Sea.
"We will continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters. The Black Sea does not belong to any nation, and we are going to continue to do what is necessary to ensure our national security interests in this part of the world," Kirby said.
The US goal of turning the Black Sea into a NATO lake
The coordinator for strategic Communications of the White House, apparently, carefully chose the words in accordance with the American strategy: The Black Sea, it turns out, does not belong to any nation, and the United States has the right to act in the international space!
And what is the US strategy? Washington is trying to use the new situation that arose with the collapse of the USSR to make the Black Sea a "NATO lake", trying to disrupt the balance and harmony that Turkey defended in this region throughout the Cold War.
The United States is trying to turn the Black Sea into a NATO lake by adding Bulgaria and Romania to Turkey's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, making Ukraine and Georgia NATO partners, that is, making five of the six Black Sea states NATO allies.
Thus, the United States is trying to strengthen its position in the Black Sea region — the only place where it cannot freely enter, establish strategic superiority over Russia and, by holding a very important zone of Eurasia, gain an advantage in the global struggle for power.
Obstacle before the USA: the Montreux Convention
So what prevents the United States from freely entering the Black Sea? The Montreux Convention.
The document, dated 1936, does not allow the United States to be uncontrolled in the Black Sea, and imposes restrictions on the number and tonnage of ships for countries that do not have access to the Black Sea.
The United States is constantly trying to remove the obstacle in the form of the Montreux Convention, sometimes openly insisting on the need to update it, then, as in this case, saying that "The Black Sea is an international sea that does not belong to anyone."
The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed sea, and the most important international document affecting its legal status is the Montreux Convention of 1936. The document establishes separate rights and obligations for Turkey, States with access to the Black Sea, and other powers using the Straits.
Therefore, the current status of the Black Sea, based on the Montreux Convention, prevents the free and unrestricted activity of the United States in the region.
Turkish strategy: The Black Sea belongs to the Black Sea States
Ankara believes that Washington's goal in the Black Sea contradicts its approach in general. Despite the fact that there are leaders like Erdogan who from time to time directly invite NATO to the Black Sea, Turkey has maintained balance and harmony with Russia in the region since 1936.
The Black Sea strategy of the Turkish state is best summed up by the words uttered in 2008 by the former Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, General Ilker Başbuğ: "The Black Sea is an issue concerning countries that have access to it."
In other words, while the United States puts forward the thesis that the Black Sea does not belong to anyone, Turkey claims that it belongs to the Black Sea states.
And the guarantee that the Black Sea belongs to the States that have access to it is the Montreux Convention!
Author: Mehmet Ali Guller
