Status: 02/28/2022 8:54 p.m
Turkey denies warships passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. The government relies on the Treaty of Montreux. In the war with Ukraine, at least four Russian warships are currently waiting for permission to pass through.
Against the background of the Ukraine war, Turkey has banned the passage of warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. Ankara had “warned neighboring countries not to send warships through the Black Sea,” said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
In his statement, Cavusoglu referred to the 1936 Treaty of Montreux, which regulates the passage of ships through the Turkish Straits. “We apply the provisions of the Montreux Convention,” stressed Cavusoglu. Turkey, Russia and Ukraine are countries bordering the Black Sea. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits connect the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea.
Erdogan against the Russian invasion
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clearly sided with Kiev after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We reject Russia’s military action,” Erdogan said last week. The invasion was a “heavy blow to peace and stability in the region.” NATO member Turkey has repeatedly emphasized its close ties with Ukraine in recent years.
Erdogan sharply denounced the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 – also because of the historical presence of ethnic Turkish Tatars on the peninsula. Turkey drew Moscow’s ire when it sold combat drones to Ukraine. At the same time, Erdogan is said to have a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
trade relations expanded
Despite different positions, including on the Syrian conflict, Ankara and Moscow have strengthened their trade and defense relations in recent years. Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system caused resentment among NATO partners.