Turkey: Can it violate the Montreux Convention?

Tuesday, July 18, 20223. Zelensky: "Ukraine-Turkey-UN continue the Grain Agreement without Russia!"

Such a breach or annulment could occur without the aeronautical support of NATO and the immediate use and direct military involvement of Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia (for those countries who decide to support the dangerous undertaking).

History

The Montreux Convention or Convention Concerning the Regime of the Straits (Turkish: Montrö Boğazlar Könüğüsi) is a convention that concerns the regime of the Bosphorus Straits and the Dardanelles.

The agreement, signed in 1936, cedes control of the Bosphorus Straits and the Dardanelles to Turkey and regulates military activity in the region.

The treaty gives Turkey full control of the Straits and guarantees freedom of navigation by civilian ships in peacetime.

  The treaty's terms have been controversial for years, particularly over the passage of Soviet warships from the Straits into the Mediterranean Sea.

Signed on July 20, 1936, in the Swiss city of Montreux. 

It entered into force on November 9, 1936, and was registered with the League of Nations on December 11, 1936.

It is still valid to this day, with some modifications.

The Terms of the contract today.

The Contracting Parties to the treaty (Contracting Parties: Black Sea States: Bulgaria, Romania, Soviet Union, Turkey, Australia, France, Greece, Italy, England, Yugoslavia) recognize and confirm the principle of free passage and navigation by sea in the Straits: " in time of peace, merchant ships shall enjoy full freedom of passage and navigation in the Straits, by day and night, under any flag with any kind of cargo."

The treaty gives Turkey full control of the Straits and guarantees free navigation by civilian ships in peacetime.

Allows Turkey to militarize the Straits.

  Permits the passage of warships of coastal countries with one week's notice and subject to certain conditions of displacement, size, and armament.

  It significantly limits the passage of warships that do not belong to Black Sea states (passage warning, displacement limit of ships, limitation of armament, non-passage of aircraft carriers, etc.).

Compatibility with UNCLOS

When the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) came into force in November 1994, its implementation called for the Montreux Treaty to be reformulated to make it compatible with the regime governing international navigation. 

However, Turkey's long-standing refusal to sign UNCLOS means the Montreux Treaty remains in force without further amendment.

So yes, NATO can create a Taskforce from an aircraft carrier and accompanying warships and even state that this group is NOT under the orders of NATO but is a pure initiative of states belonging to the European Union! Who will rush to help the conditions of Africa that will be deprived of precious grains because of "Evil Putin."

Ports with relative security will be found in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, and Odesa, today's Ukraine.

The situation today.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has sent official messages to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, proposing the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Agreement or a similar tripartite agreement, News.ro reports. (News agency of Romania, a NATO member country bordering Moldova and Transnistria).

"Ukraine's position has always been as clear as it could be - no one has the right to destroy the food supply of any state. If a group of people somewhere in the Kremlin think they have the right to decide whether or not there will be food on the table of different countries: Egypt or Sudan, Yemen or Bangladesh, China or India, Turkey or Indonesia.. .then the world has the opportunity to show that blackmail is not allowed by anyone.

The recent relevant statement of the Ukrainian president on the Black Sea.

From the first day of the large-scale aggression, Russia has eliminated freedom of navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. 

Russia has hit our ports, grain terminals with missiles and drones, and even stables have been hit... The only likely consequence is the destabilization of food markets and social chaos in countries heavily dependent on imported food. 

Food in Ukraine is the basic security for four million people," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He then cited the achievements of last year's Black Sea Grain Agreement (grain deal), which allowed the safe export of 33 million tons of agricultural products to countries in Africa and Asia.

  He named the main buyers of Ukrainian products, trying to show the West and the rest of the world why it is important to continue the deal, even without Moscow's agreement.

💬"The #BlackSeaGrainInitiative can and should continue to work. If without russia, then without russia. The grain export agreement is an arrangement with 🇹🇷Türkiye and the 🇺🇳@UN, and it remains in force," stated President of 🇺🇦Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa. pic.twitter.com/SFeBxXUIwu

— Latifundist.сom (@LatifundistCom) July 18, 2023

The pressure on Russia continues, with China gaining time and experience from the front in cooperation with Moscow.

Update

Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

The Bosphorus Straits are now canceled in practice, and Greece, through the Port of Alexandroupoli, gives breath to the whole world.

Ups and downs are coming for Turkey, which will likely lose its mediating role in grain exports from Turkish ports following Russia's decision to cancel the grain deal.

"The new export route for Ukrainian agricultural products should pass through the territorial waters of Bulgaria, Romania," said the Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey.

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bondar stated that they are now hoping to come to some sort of Agreement with Bulgaria and Romania that will allow Ukrainian Commercial Ships to used their Territorial Waters in order to create a “Safe Shipping Lane” for the Export of…

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 19, 2023