Turkey, in accordance with the Montreux Convention, decided to close the passage through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles to the warships of Russia and Ukraine. Exception – return to the port of the main parking
Photo: Umit Bektas / Reuters
Ankara has called Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine a war and will invoke the relevant provisions of the Montreux Convention on the Bosporus and Dardanelles. This was stated by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on the air of CNN Turk, reports Cumhuriyet.
Cavusoglu said that Turkey will strictly comply with article 19 of the convention.
“Article 19 is perfectly clear. Initially, it was an attack by Russia, we evaluated it with specialists, the military, and lawyers. Now it has turned into a war,” Cavusoglu said.
According to him, Turkey will comply with the provisions of the Montreux Convention in relation to the parties to the conflict.
Article 19 Convention stipulates that during a war, when Turkey is not a belligerent, warships of the belligerents cannot pass through the straits. There are several exceptions to this rule, for example, if Turkey is obliged to provide assistance to the state that has been the victim of an attack under a mutual assistance treaty.