Turkey called Russia's week-long invasion of Ukraine a war - a change in rhetoric that could pave the way for the restriction of the Russian sea passage to the Black Sea.
Reuters reports about this, as European Pravda writes.
According to the Montreux Convention of 1936, Turkey controls the Dardanelles and the Bosporus, which join the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, and may restrict the passage of military ships during a war or in case of threat.
While reconciling its Western commitments and close ties with Moscow, Ankara said the Russian attack was unacceptable, but did not describe the situation as war until the week before.
"On the fourth day of the war in Ukraine, we reiterate President Erdogan's call for a negative end to the Russian attacks and the start of negotiations to end the war," presidential envoy Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter.
Fahrettin Altun, Turkey's communications director, said that "we are witnesses of a bloody war in our region" and reiterated Erdogan's proposal to become a mediator.
Kiev asked Ankara to block further passage of Russian warships to the Black Sea, where Moscow has made one of its invasions of the eastern coast of Ukraine.
But the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey said on Friday that Russia, under the Montreux Convention, has the right to return the ships to its base.
"Turkey can stop the passage of military ships through the channels. But if the ships of one of the warring parties submit a request to return to their deployment areas, they can be allowed to pass," he said.
The Minister added that these provisions can be enforced if Turkey recognizes the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as war.
According to the Montreux Convention of 1936, merchant ships can pass freely through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, but there are restrictions for military ships, depending on whether they belong to one of the countries of the Black Sea region.
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