Turkey blocks Bosphorus for warships - Russia cut off from Black Sea
Created: 03/01/2022, 15:38
By: Marvin Ziegele
The war in Ukraine is also being fought in the Black Sea.
Turkey is now reacting with a ban.
Istanbul – Against the background of the Ukraine conflict*, Turkey* has banned the passage of warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.
Ankara had "warned neighboring countries not to send warships through the Black Sea," said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday evening (March 1, 2022).
At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan* sharply condemned the Russian war of aggression.
In his statement, Cavusoglu referred to the 1936 Treaty of Montreux, which regulates the passage of ships through the Turkish Straits.
"We apply the provisions of the Montreux Convention," emphasized Cavusoglu.
Ukraine conflict: Turkey closes passage for warships
Both Turkey and Russia* and Ukraine* are countries bordering the Black Sea.
The Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits connect the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea.
A US warship sails through the Bosphorus Strait.
Because of the war in Ukraine, Turkey bans passage for warships.
(File photo) © BULENT KILIC/AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clearly sided with Kiev after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We reject Russia's military action," Erdogan said last week.
The invasion was a "devastating blow to peace and stability in the region."
Conflict in Ukraine: Recep Tayyip Erdogan turns away from Russia
NATO member* Turkey has repeatedly emphasized its close ties with Ukraine in recent years.
Erdogan sharply denounced the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, also because of the historical presence of ethnic Turkish Tatars on the peninsula.
Turkey drew Moscow's ire when it sold combat drones to Ukraine.
At the same time, Erdogan is said to have a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Despite different positions, including in the civil war in Syria*, Ankara and Moscow have strengthened their trade and defense relations in recent years.
Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system caused dissatisfaction among NATO partners.
(Marvin Ziegele/AFP)
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