Turkey says it cannot stop the passage of warships through its straits

Turkey's foreign minister said Ankara cannot stop the passage of warships through its straits leading to the Black Sea as Ukraine has requested, referring to a clause in the Montreux Convention that allows vessels to return to their home base.

Ukraine appealed to Turkey to stop Russian warships from passing through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits, but Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey is limited in its ability to do so.

"In the case of a war where Turkey is not a party, there are measures that can be taken regarding the countries that are parties in the war," he told the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper.

"If there is a demand for the ships of the warring countries to return to their bases, then it must be allowed," he said, referring to Russian ships. 

Cavusoglu referenced a clause in the Montreux Convention, signed in 1936, an agreement that gives Turkey control over the passage of vessels through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits.

Warships can navigate through the straits during peacetime, but under conditions that restrict aggregate tonnage and the calibre of weapons depending on whether they are a Black Sea country - Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia or Romania.