Ankara decided to activate specific clauses the Treaty of Montreux, closing the Bosphorus Straits and talking about a step of de-escalation.
“We have warned all coastal countries not to allow their warships to cross the Straits, implementing the Montreux Treaty”, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglοu said after contacting US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken about the war in Ukraine.
“Until today, no request has been made to cross the Straits. In the context of the conflict, we have warned all coastal and non-coastal countries not to cross their warships in the Black Sea. So far no request has been made. We are implementing the provisions of the Montreux Treaty”.
Earlier, an unexpected statement was made by Tayyip Erdogan, who condemned Russian aggression despite the close Kremlin-Ankara relations.
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“Russia’s attack on Ukrainian territory is unacceptable and we understand the struggle of Ukraine”, the Turkish president said in particular at his party council.
He added that he would rely on the Montreux Treaty to prevent “further escalation of the Ukrainian crisis”.
Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Erdogan criticized the “indecisive” stance of the US and other Western powers on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “sign of failure” of the international order.
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