Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said that Turkey will close the straits for Russia and Ukraine

Turkey will close the Bosporus and the Dardanelles for warships of Russia and Ukraine in accordance with the Montreux Convention. This was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on the air of CNN Turk, Cumhuriyet reports.

The convention implies that during a war, when Turkey is not a belligerent, warships of the belligerents cannot pass through the straits. The head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Ankara will strictly comply with Article 19.

“The 19th article is quite clear. Initially, it was an attack by Russia, we evaluated it with specialists, the military, and lawyers. Now it has turned into a war,” Cavusoglu said. According to the minister, Turkey will comply with the article in relation to both sides of the conflict.

At the same time, according to the Convention, warships of the belligerents can pass through the straits to return to their main anchorage ports.

On Saturday, February 26, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced Turkey's decision to ban Russian ships from crossing the strait. Ankara has not made any official statements in this regard.