Turkey nixes NATO drills in Black Sea over Montreux Convention provisions

Due to the Montreux Convention's obligations, Turkey has cancelled or postponed certain planned NATO drills in the Black Sea, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Anadolu Agency on May 31. The minister also stated that the West has concerns about Turkey's refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow, but Ankara will not change its position.

Cavusoglu stated, "If we had joined the sanctions, we would not have been able to fulfill the mediation role that we have now. We applied the Montreux Convention to warships, but the airspace, that corridor, we have to keep it open. Outside of the convention, there have been requests from Russia, the United States for ships to pass. We have, in accordance with the convention, cancelled or postponed planned NATO drills. We play an important role, and we fulfill our obligations."

Ankara indicated from the beginning that it would only join the UN sanctions if they were officially imposed on Russia, according to Cavusoglu. "everyone can now impose sanctions on anyone they want. That's their business. We have chosen the role of mediator, we are trying to make things easier. And this position is welcomed in the EU, in the world," he added. However, the minister emphasises that Turkey's policy of not joining the sanctions against Russia does not imply that they can be avoided through Ankara.

What is Montreux Convention?

The Montreux Convention of 1936 limits non-riparian warships (those not belonging to states bordering on this body of water) access to the Black Sea in terms of duration, tonnage, and armaments. If a humanitarian sealift through the Dardanelles is assembled to transport desperately needed agricultural products in Odessa for global distribution to prevent starvation and requires naval escorts, Turkey is the sole enforcer to allow or deny transit of warships.

The Montreux Convention is a historical relic that has outlived its usefulness. Surprisingly, the USSR is no longer one of the four original signatories to the convention, along with Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. And newer states like Georgia and Ukraine did not exist at the time. However, the convention remains in effect. It is unlikely to change because Turkey has a commanding position due to the geography of the country, which is divided by the Bosporus and the Dardanelles.

Image: AP