Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits

"It is not a couple of air strikes now, the situation in Ukraine is officially a war … We will implement the Montreux Convention," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday, having finally recognised Russia's military "actions" in Ukraine as a war.

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.

Ukraine asked Turkey to close the Straits to Russian warships

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.

Maintaining the status quo in the Black Sea provided by the Montreux Convention is of vital importance, Turkey's defense minister has said, calling on Ukraine and Russia to de-escalate tension and resolve problems through dialogue.

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.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has expressed concerns about the escalation of tension in the Black Sea, warning that the parties should refrain from the provocations amid continued quarrel between Ukraine and Russia over the Donbas crisis.