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| The Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, 01 March 2022. Turkey urged all countries to respect the Montreux Convention and avoid sending warships through its straits amid the ongoing Russian aggression on Ukraine. The 1936 convention grants Ankara control over the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits during wartime. EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN |
Russia cancelled a bid to send four of its warships through Turkish waters into the Black Sea at Turkeyโs request, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, adding the decision was made before Ankara closed the straits over Moscowโs invasion of Ukraine.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. On Monday, Ankara said it had closed its Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits under a 1936 pact, allowing it to curb some Russian vessels crossing. The pact exempts vessels returning to their bases.
Cavusoglu told broadcaster Haberturk late on Tuesday that Turkey had asked Russia not to send its ships through before it labelled Moscowโs invasion a โwarโ on Sunday, legally allowing it to curb passages under the Montreux Convention.
โRussia has said four of its ships would cross the straits on Feb 27-28, three of which are not registered to bases in the Black Sea,โ Cavusoglu said. โWe told Russia not to send these ships and Russia said the vessels would not cross the straits.โ
โNobody should be offended by this, because the Montreux Convention is valid today, yesterday and tomorrow, so we will implement it,โ he said.
Reuters reported earlier this week that at least four Russian ships โ two destroyers, a frigate, and an intelligence vessel โ were waiting on Turkeyโs decision to cross from the Mediterranean. Two of them, a frigate and a destroyer, had asked to make the journey this week.
The United States โexpressed appreciationโ for Turkeyโs move to close the straits. Ukraineโs ambassador to Ankara said Kyiv was โgratefulโ to Turkey for โmeticulouslyโ implementing the pact. Read full story
While calling Russiaโs invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defence and tourism ties. It has called for dialogue and offered to host peace talks.
Cavusoglu repeated on Tuesday that Turkey would not join its Western allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia.
While forging close cooperation with Russia, Turkey has also sold drones to Kyiv and signed a deal to co-produce more, angering Moscow. It also opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as its 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Wednesday the country was set to receive another shipment of Turkish drones, a move likely to anger Russia.
REUTERS
