Turkey Declares it Will Not Allow Warships into the Black Sea

Turkey will adhere to the Montreux Convention and will not allow the entry of military ships into the Black Sea, stated Turkey's Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar.

The Montreux Convention, adopted in 1936, maintains the freedom of passage for commercial vessels through the specified straits during both peacetime and wartime, although the regimes differ for each case. Moreover, the document limits the presence of warships from non-Black Sea countries in the Black Sea to a three-week period.

In emergencies, Turkey has the right to prohibit or restrict the transit of vessels through the Bosporus and Dardanelles.