Turkey is implementing the Montreux Accord in retaliation for Russia’s war on Ukraine. What does this mean, and how will its implementation affect the war?
What is the Montreux Convention? Can Turkey use it to block Russian warships?
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday said the situation in Ukraine had turned into a war. It said it would authorize Ankara to implement the Montreux Convention and ban Russian warships from entering the Black Sea via the Phosphorus and Tortonelles Straits.
“Initially, it was a Russian attack, but now it has become a war,” Cavusoglu told CNN in an interview with Turkish news agency.
“Turkey will explicitly implement all the terms of the Montreux Agreement,” Cavusoglu said.
The decision comes three days after Ukraine asked Ankara to close the Straits of Phosphorus and Tardanelles for Russian ships.
But what does the Montreux Agreement cover and how will its implementation affect the war between Russia and Ukraine?
The only way to the Black Sea
The Phosphorus and Tardanelles Strait, also known as the Turkish Strait or Black Sea Strait, connects the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea via the Marmara Sea. Black Sea Ports This is the only route to access the Mediterranean and beyond.
More than three million barrels of oil flow through this waterway every day. It accounts for about three percent of the daily global distribution. These are mostly produced in Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. In addition, the route transports large quantities of iron, steel and agricultural products from the Black Sea coast to Europe and other parts of the world.
The 1936 Montreux Treaty deals with the control (rule) of the Strait, often referred to as the Montreux Treaty. According to the agreement, Turkey also has control of two straits, the Phosphorus and the Tardanelles.
In the event of a war, the treaty would give Ankara the right to regulate the movement of naval warships and to prevent the passage of warships belonging to conflicting countries by water.
Can Turkey stop Russian warships?
Russia’s location in the Black Sea complicates the situation.
Article 19 of the Convention provides an exception for countries in the Black Sea. It effectively undermines Turkey’s ability to prevent Russian warships from entering or leaving the Black Sea: “warships owned by warring nations may or may not use this route from their naval bases, whether or not they are in the Black Sea frontier,” it said.
This means that warships can return to their original naval bases by this route and Turkey will not be able to prevent it.
For example, the Russian Navy, which is registered in the Black Sea, but is currently located in the Mediterranean, is allowed to cross the Straits of Phosphorus and Tortonelles and return to its naval base. This condition also applies to Russian naval vessels currently in the Black Sea, owned by naval bases in the Mediterranean or the Baltic Sea. Russia is free to take warships out of the Black Sea.
Cavusoglu raised this point in his interview with CNN. “If this warship wants to go to a naval base in the country where the war is taking place, it cannot be prevented from going this route,” he said, adding that there should be no irregularities and ships returning to the naval base should not be told to return to the base.
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The official designation of a ship to a port determines whether it has the right to pass through the strait. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), official work falls under the jurisdiction of the government that owns the vessels. Therefore, another possible way for Russia to take advantage of the Montreux Agreement is to reassign some of its ships to the Black Sea.
There are no immediate side effects, but there are long-term effects
Given the extensive independence that Russia enjoys through its location in the Black Sea, it is doubtful whether the implementation of the Montreux Accord will have significant military consequences in the current conflict. But, “It will mainly strengthen order; Any military connection will be short-lived and long-lasting, ”Cornell Overfield, a researcher at the Naval Analysis Center, wrote in a tweet.
According to the treaty, ships that Russia decides to bring in or out of the Black Sea will remain there until the end of the war. In addition, Overfield wrote that “warships, including submarines that are not currently on the Black Sea and have never been there before, could not enter the Black Sea.” He added, “This restriction may be inappropriate in the short term, but may be major if the conflict persists.” He also wrote.
Sinan Ulzen, a former Turkish diplomat and researcher at the Carnegie Foundation in Europe, believes that the implementation of the agreement will further complicate Russia’s balance of military presence in the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean.
He added, “In the past, Russia flexibly used the assets of the Black Sea Navy, including submarines,” but not now. He also wrote on Twitter that Russia should choose which naval vessel will be in the Black Sea and which will be in the Mediterranean.
“What Turkey is doing is like what Russia is doing to countries that are closing their airspace,” Overfield wrote.
“Closing the strait during the Russo-Ukrainian war will never have a military impact,” he added. “But Turkey’s unique way is to punish Russia for war crimes against Ukraine and to abide by international law.” He said.
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