Turkey bans Russian warships from entering Black Sea

By Azernews

By News Center

Foreign Minister Cavusoglu has stated that Turkey has banned the Russian warships from entering the Black Sea.

Cavusoglu made the remarks in light of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict during a live broadcast on Haberturk TV on March 1, according to Yeni Shafak. Yeni Shafak reported. 

He stated that Russia intended to pass its warships through the straits (Dardanelles, Bosporus) on February 27-28. However, Ankara asked Russia to withdraw its request to pass through the straits its warships that are not registered in the Black Sea fleet, and the Moscow administration agreed, he added.

Cavusoglu emphasized that the passage of ships to the Black Sea by non-riparian countries, their stay in the Black Sea, and total tonnage are governed by the Montreux Convention (1936), and Turkey is required to apply the convention's 19th article (preventing warships from passing through the straits) in the event of war.

There is one exception: if the warship wishes to return to its registered base in the Black Sea, Turkey cannot prevent its passage, he said.

Cavusoglu underlined that three Russian warships out of four that wanted to pass through the straits were not registered to Black Sea bases, and thus their access was denied by Turkey..

Turkey’s stance in conflict

Cavusoglu stated that tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as well as between Russia and the West, are rising.

He emphasized that Turkey is very interested in continuing the dialogues between the parties and communicates with both sides about this.

A day before Russia's attack on Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed his desire to bring the two leaders together. Putin also stated that he would think about the offer.

Cavusoglu stated that Russia's intervention in Donbass region was predictable, but the scale of the attack on Ukraine stunned the entire world.

"It is difficult to make an exact prediction about the war. Russia intended to seize key cities in a short period of time. This was our concern in Libya, especially when the conflict devolved into a street war. If the attack on Tripoli had not been halted, it would have escalated into a street war. You never know when the street battle will be over. Of course, once the war began, we made great efforts to bring it to a close and establish a cease-fire," Cavusoglu stressed.

He stated that if the war continues, Turkey will work to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire. The relevant initiatives have been presented to the parties and the international community, the foreign minister said.

Cavusoglu stated that Turkey has suggested that Russia and Ukraine begin negotiations in any location that is convenient for both countries. Ukraine preferred Istanbul, and Turkey was willing to host the meeting. The first meeting, however, was held on the Belarussian side of the border, he added.

“We are currently meeting with the parties, getting general information. We know that nothing came out of the first meeting. The messages received from there were carried to the level of leaders, to the capitals. They're trying to lay the groundwork for the second meeting. We would like it to happen, but it seems that tomorrow's [March 2] meeting may be postponed for a day or two. From now on, we want the negotiations to be result-oriented. There must be a negotiation that will result in a ceasefire,” Cavusoglu stressed.

He emphasized that Turkey is under no obligation to take sides in the conflict. As a NATO member, Turkey follows and contributes to NATO decisions while maintaining a principled stance.

“Despite the differences of opinion, we are the country that has developed cooperation with both countries. When there is a war we don't have to take sides; on the contrary, we are the country that can establish a dialogue on both sides in order to end the war. We don't have the luxury of taking sides. If something is wrong, we have to say it. Russia's attack is a violation of international law. There are humanitarian dramas right now. No matter who makes these mistakes, we will say it openly. We have demonstrated our principled stance in other crises as well,” Cavusoglu underlined.

He stressed that Turkey does not want the negotiation process to be broken and seeks a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Speaking about the sanctions imposed on Russia's economy, Cavusoglu said that they affect the EU and other countries as well.

He underlined that the government examines the sanction decisions one by one and their impact on the Turkish economy and energy security, as well as the airspace.

“We did not participate in the sanctions in principle; we have no inclination to participate. There was no demand or pressure to Turkey in this regard,” Cavusoglu added.

Evacuation of Turkish citizens

Cavusoglu noted that on February 12,  Turkey issued a warning to its citizens to leave Ukraine's eastern regions, and on February 22, Turkish Airlines arranged additional flights to evacuate the people. However, due to a lack of sales, the flights were canceled. Approximately 5,000 Turkish citizens left Ukraine with the warnings up until the start of the war, he added.

Cavusoglu emphasized that, following the closure of Ukrainian airspace, citizens are being evacuated by trains and buses.

"As of today, we had evacuated 5,850 of our citizens who had set out. These are on their way to the Romanian border. Our buses, which are waiting there, transport our citizens to Bucharest. We spoke with Turkish Airlines in Bucharest and made our arrangements," he explained.

Cavusoglu added that over 8,000 Turkish citizens had been evacuated from Odessa and that the figure was constantly changing. The government is in constant contact with Ukrainian authorities in order to arrange evacuation trains, but a departure date is difficult to obtain. Citizens must heed announcements made by the Turkish government and diplomatic missions in this regard, he said.

The foreign minister stated that contacts with Russian officials regarding the evacuation of Turkish citizens had been made. He emphasized that buses have been arranged to transport citizens to Russia's Rostov airport in order for them to fly with Turkish Airlines.