Sunday, April 4, 2021

Turkey condemns warning by retired admirals over Bosphorus treaty | Al Jazeera

Turkey condemns warning by retired admirals over Bosphorus treaty

Top Turkish officials on Sunday lashed out at an open letter signed by more than 100 retired admirals warning about a possible threat to a treaty governing the use of Turkey’s key waterways.

Ankara’s approval last month of plans to develop a shipping canal in Istanbul comparable to the Panama or Suez canals has opened up debate about the 1936 Montreux Convention.

Kanal Istanbul (Istanbul Canal) is the most ambitious of what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan terms his “crazy projects”, which have seen him transform Turkey’s infrastructure with new airports, bridges, roads and tunnels during his 18 years in power.

Turkish officials argue that the new canal is vital to take the pressure off Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait, a key route for world trade that saw more than 38,000 vessels pass through last year.

The waterway between Europe and Asia is clogged with maritime traffic and has seen several shipping accidents in recent years.

But opponents say that, as well as a highly detrimental environmental effect foreseen by some experts, the new canal venture could also undermine the Montreux accord.

The convention guarantees the free passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits of civilian vessels in times of both peace and war. It also regulates the use of the straits by military vessels from non-Black Sea states.

The new canal would allow ships to transit between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea without passing through part of the straits that are covered by the treaty.

In their letter on Saturday, 104 retired admirals said it was “worrying” to open the Montreux treaty up to debate, calling it an agreement that “best protects Turkish interests”.

“We are of the opinion to refrain from any kind of rhetoric or action that could make the Montreux Convention … a matter of controversy,” they said.....

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  •  Ankara’s Chief Public Prosecutor on April 4 launched an investigation into a declaration released by 104 retired admirals over remarks made by Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop on the Montreux Convention.


The declaration has drawn strong reactions from the government and officials.

The Turkish Armed Forces cannot be used as a vehicle for ambitions of a person or persons who do not have any duties and responsibilities, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The declaration will “only negatively affect the morale and motivation of its staff and make the enemies happy,” said the ministry and emphasized that publishing such a declaration “will do nothing but harm our democracy.”

“We firmly believe that the independent Turkish judiciary will do what is necessary,” noted the statement.

Vice President Fuat Oktay called out the coup supporters who are “unwilling to accept” the will of the nation and who targeted democratic institutions.

Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said the statement is “reminiscent of coup periods” and made the former soldiers “a laughingstock.”

“Know your place and stay where you are,” he added.

“These retirees, who’ve not been seen for years, are creating chaos with their agendas,” Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop said.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the admirals should not use their ranks and uniforms as a means to push their political rhetoric.

Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun underlined that the nation has the last word.

  • Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli said, “The rank of admirals who signed the declaration prepared in the style of a memorandum and served at midnight should be removed. [Their] Pension rights should be abolished [and] pensions should be abolished.”


The declaration of the retired admirals from the Naval Forces slammed the government for paving the way for a debate on the possible withdrawal from the Montreux Convention.

“Otherwise, the Republic of Turkey might be able to encounter the most dangerous events, risks and threats, which are instances in history,” said the declaration.

  • The discussion started in late March, when Şentop elaborated on broadcaster HaberTürk on March 24 about Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.


The journalist asked, “What if one day one president says ‘I withdrew from the European Convention on Human Rights, I do not recognize Montreux, I dissolved it?’”

“He can. Not only our president but Germany, the U.S., or France can do as well. But there is a difference between possible and probable,” Şentop answered on the program.

Şentop on March 30, reiterated that quitting from international treaties, such as Montreux Convention, is not on Turkey’s agenda.

1 comment:

  1. An open letter was signed by 103 retired Turkish admirals who highlighted the need for Turkey to stay in the Montreux convention, which determines the status of Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, in light of the Istanbul Canal project, which would not be covered by the treaty.

    "Recently, we have been following with great concern the discussion about the Istanbul Canal and the Montreux Convention in the context of the jurisdiction over which international treaties can be abrogated. The Turkish Straits are some of the most important waterways in the world and have historically been governed in accordance with international treaties. Montreux protects Turkey's rights in the best way," the retired admirals said in the letter.

    The convention is "a great diplomatic victory that restored Turkey's sovereign rights to Istanbul, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and Dardanelles," the letter continued.

    The letter also expressed the need to preserve the current constitution of Turkey against the background of calls by Erdogan to develop a new basic law, and condemned the departure of the leadership of the Turkish Armed Forces from "the path outlined [by the founder of the republic] Mustafa Kemal Ataturk."

    Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop slammed the letter, suggesting that it was calling for a coup.

    The president's office has sharply criticized the letter.

    'Who are you? Know your place! Our people showed on July 15 [2016] to friend and foe alike how we deal with coup attempts," the head of the presidential administration's communications, Fahrettin Altun, tweeted.

    Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that the retired officers put themselves in a "pathetic and ridiculous" situation with this letter.

    The planned channel would run near the Bosporus strait and have similar shipping traffic capacity. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the Montreux Convention which focuses on the passage of ships through the Bosporus strait would not apply to the new waterway. At the same time, according to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the project's aim is not for Turkey to abandon the convention.

    The Montreux Convention was adopted in 1936 and guarantees the freedom of passage through the straits for merchant ships of all countries; both in peacetime and in wartime. However, the rules of passage of warships are different for the Black Sea states and others. For the warships of the non-Black Sea powers, significant restrictions on class and duration of stay have been introduced.

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