.SOFIA, Jan 30 /TASS/. Turkey intends to continue to fully comply with the provisions of the Montreux Convention on the regime for the passage of warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference after a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, Foreign Minister Maria Gabrielova.
"In early January, the Turkish National Security Council expressed its readiness to continue its efforts to ensure peace and stability in the Black Sea in the framework of the implementation of the provisions of the Montreux Convention.
On 11 December 2023, the UK Ministry of Defence said it would redeploy two Sandown minesweepers to Ukraine to improve security in the Black Sea. The ministry expressed the hope that through these deliveries Ukraine will be able to increase its exports of products in the Black Sea. The British Ministry of Defence explained that this support "will be long-term in nature to help Ukraine transform its navy, make it more compatible with Western allies, more interoperable with NATO and enhance security in the Black Sea."
On 2 January, the Turkish authorities denied reports that they had allegedly allowed minesweepers donated by Britain to Ukraine to pass through the Black Sea straits. Turkey has repeatedly stated that it strictly adheres to the Montreux Convention, and under Article 19 of the Convention, with the launch of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, it closed the Straits area (the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles) to the passage of warships to prevent a further increase in tensions in the Black Sea. Ankara also stressed that it continues to respect the principle of "regional responsibility" in the Black Sea in order to avoid upsetting the balance there.
The Montreux Convention was signed on 20 July 1936 and entered into force on 9 November of the same year. It confirmed Turkey's sovereignty over the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles and transferred to it the functions of monitoring and controlling the passage of ships. The Convention also regulates the passage of warships, while civilian ships of all countries retain free passage through the straits in peacetime and wartime.
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