Dardanelles

Turkey said on Feb. 28 it was blocking warships from the key Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits in line with a convention that gives it control over the passage of military vessels in the strategic area.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said Russia's military operation into Ukraine has turned into a war and Turkey will act accordingly over its straits in line with the Montreux Convention.

The Montreux Convention gives Turkey the right to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to warships during wartime, but Russia can still pass through the straits to return its fleet to its bases, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

A tanker ship passes through the Bosporus at Istanbul. Photo: Pixabay/Murat Soyluoglu

"We are calling for the air space, Bosporus and the Dardanelles straits to be closed. We have conveyed our demand to the Turkish side. At the same time, we want sanctions imposed on the Russian side," Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said in Ankara.

Ukraine has demanded Turkey to close its straits for Russian vessels, Ukraine's Ambassador to Ankara Vasyl Bodnar said on Feb. 24, after Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine.

"We conveyed our official request to the Turkish side regarding the closure of the airspace, the Dardanelles [Strait] and Bosphorus [Strait] for Russian ships," he told reporters at a press conference.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has urged the Turkish government to preserve the Montreux Convention during the recent escalation between the West and Russia in Ukraine.

The construction of a key bridge in northwestern Turkey connecting Europe and Asia is close to completion, as 99 percent of the structure has already been finished.

Final groundwork and small details are being done on the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which is expected to be opened soon.

The restoration of a 202-year-old castle, which was used as a combat center and weapon repair workshop during the Dardanelles Wars, is about to end, following six years of efforts.

Bigalı Castle, located on the European coast of Turkey's northwestern province of Çanakkale and completed during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, will soon begin to welcome visitors once again.

A Turkish prosecutor has drafted an indictment seeking up to 12 years in prison for each of the 103 retired admirals who issued a controversial statement in April to support the 1936 Montreux Convention.

The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge will contribute to developing social ties among Europe, Asia, and Africa, while improving the trade and tourism sectors, Turkey's president said on Nov. 13.