Turkey notifies Russia, Ukraine about plans to apply Article 19 of Montreux Convention - TASS

Turkey will apply Article 19 of the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits and officially notified Russia and Ukraine about that, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Haber Turk television.

"We decided that the war is now under way. We officially notified the parties [Russia and Ukraine]. We will apply Article 19 of the Montreux Convention," the channel quoted him as saying.

According to the 1936 Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, Turkey has sovereignty over the straits of Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. The document enshrines free passage through the straits for trade ships only. Black Sea nations may move military ships of any class through the straits during peacetime by notifying the Turkish authorities beforehand. Meanwhile, the document significantly limits the class and displacement of military ships for non-Black Sea nations. However, Turkey has additional powers to regulate traffic through the straits during wartime. Under certain circumstances, Ankara may ban a country from using the straits in case it comes to the conclusion that national or regional security is in danger.

On February 26, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky emphasized the importance of a ban on the passage of Russian warships to the Black Sea in a Twitter post.