Turkey has vowed to implement the Montreux Convention to limit Russia’s access to the Black Sea, with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu saying on Sunday that Russia’s assault on Ukraine had turned into a “war” and therefore permitted Turkey to limit the passage of Russian warships from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits.
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The 1936 Montreux Convention recognises Turkey’s authority over the Dardanelles and the Bosporus straits and permits it to regulate maritime traffic through the straits. While the convention guarantees safe passage to all civilian vessels to the straits, it restricts the passage of warships, especially those belonging to non-Black Sea states. Furthermore, the Convention allows Turkey to restrict access to warships belonging to any country during wartime.
Speaking to CNN Turk, Çavuşoğlu confirmed that Turkey believes that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a “war” and therefore asserted that Turkey has a right to limit Russian access through the straits. He quoted Article 19 of the convention, which states that “vessels of war belonging to belligerent states [Russia] shall not pass through the straits” and that Turkey will make the final decision regarding this.
Çavuşoğlu stressed, however, that Turkey will not restrict all Russian warships from accessing the Black Sea. Article 12 of the convention states that Black Sea states have the right to send their warships through the straits “for the purpose of rejoining their base.”
Russian submarine passes through Turkey’s Bosphorus strait towards the Black Sea amid #Ukraine stand-off https://t.co/l58PXgLVwK pic.twitter.com/2L7K7PpbYA
— The National (@TheNationalNews) February 13, 2022
“There should not be any abuse of this exemption. Ships that declare returning to their bases and passing through the straits should not be involved in the war,” Çavuşoğlu reiterated.
According to experts, Turkey’s decision to close the straits to Russian warships could lead to a fallout in ties with Russia. In such a situation, Moscow would demand a renegotiation of the convention and could undertake punitive economic and diplomatic measures against Turkey.
Turkey’s political establishment has for long sought to avoid such an escalation with Russia. Earlier this month, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar stated maintaining the status quo in the Black Sea is of great importance to Ankara. “There is balance, stability and security in the Black Sea thanks to this status quo. We have explained and continue to explain on every occasion that this is of vital importance,” he said.
In this respect, Akar and other high-ranking Turkish officials, including President Erdoğan, have called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis and conveyed Ankara’s willingness to negotiate talks between Ukraine and Russia. Erdoğan even invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey for diplomatic talks.
Ankara’s announcement to implement the convention to limit Russian access through the straits follows a request by Ukraine to Turkey to close the straits to Russia. Per reports, at least six Russian warships and a submarine transited through the straits to the Black Sea in February. Moreover, Kyiv has been using Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones to strike Russian convoys entering Ukraine, which has been receiving TB2s since 2019, a move that has angered Russia.