Turkey closes the Bosporus and Dardanelles to the passage of warships

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on CNN Turk that his country will act in accordance with the Montreux Convention on the Bosporus and Dardanelles.

Cavusoglu said that Turkey will strictly comply with the 19th paragraph of the convention. “The 19th article is quite clear. Initially, it was an attack by Russia, we evaluated it with specialists, the military, lawyers. Now it has turned into a war,” he said.

Article 19 of the convention provides that during a war, when Turkey is not a belligerent, warships cannot pass through the straits. Warships of both belligerents can pass through the strait only in one case – to return to the ports of their main anchorage.

On February 27, Turkey used the word “war” for the first time in relation to the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. “On the fourth day of the war, we repeat the call of President Erdogan to immediately stop Russian attacks and start negotiations. We will do everything possible to help the people of Ukraine and put an end to the bloodshed, this unjust and illegal war,” Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said.

By Editor

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