Turkey has informed other countries that it will temporarily not let warships through the Black Sea.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the local Anadolu agency about this.
“Turkey has warned all littoral and non-coastal countries against the passage of warships through the straits,” he said.
According to the minister, Turkey will continue to implement the provisions of the Montreux Convention.
Prior to this, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara plans to use the provisions of the Montreux Convention in order to prevent further escalation of Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
The Montreux Convention in 1936 helped restore Turkish sovereignty over the Bosporus and Dardanelles. With its help, merchant ships of any countries retain the right of free passage through the straits both in peacetime and in wartime.
At the same time, in peacetime, this convention allows any warships belonging to the Black Sea states to freely pass through the straits.
However, warships of non-Black Sea states are subject to restrictions on tonnage, class and time spent in the Black Sea.
At the same time, if Turkey participates in a war or if Turkey considers that it is threatened with war, it has the right to allow or prohibit the passage of any military vessels through the straits.
