Moscow-Sana
The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the situation in the Black Sea is being systematically turbulent due to provocations by non-regional players.
A source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement to Sputnik on the occasion of the anniversary of the signing of the Montreux Convention to regulate transit in the global straits: “Against the backdrop of the systematic escalation of the situation in the Black Sea, some non-regional players see that the task of ensuring strict implementation of the provisions of the agreement is very urgent and they are making some provocations in this context.”
The source added: “We will continue to monitor the situation closely with how the provisions of the agreement are implemented in practice, including limiting the maximum total tonnage during transit as well as the maximum tonnage of warships of the landlocked powers in the Black Sea and the duration of their stay in its waters.”
The source also expressed Moscow's concern about Turkey's plans to build the "Istanbul" canal, pointing out that this project negatively affects the international rules that define the navigation system through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.
The source said, "Moscow does not see an alternative to the international legal system defined by the Montreux Convention on maritime navigation through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, and stresses the importance of this agreement as one of the main factors for stability and security in the Black Sea region."
The source pointed out that Moscow proceeds from the fact that all signatories to the Montreux Convention are interested in the stability of the legal system that it established, and counts that it will continue to implement this aforementioned agreement with full responsibility.
In recent years, the issue of implementing the international agreement signed in the Swiss city of Montreux on July 21, 1936 has increased in importance against the backdrop of Ankara’s plans to build the “Istanbul” canal, as this project is not without contradictions and raises controversy in Turkey itself, both from the point of view of its economic feasibility or because The possibility of causing problems in the implementation of the Montreux International Convention.