Turkey opposes the entry of new military vessels into the Black Sea and the proliferation of armed conflicts in the region, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Wednesday, Sputnik reports.
"Ankara opposes the proliferation of wars in the region and against the entry of new military vessels into the Black Sea," Çavuşoğlu was quoted by Turkish news agency as saying.
Turkey strictly complies with the Montreux Convention, the Turkish foreign minister added.
The top diplomat also said that Ankara had called and continued to call on parties to the Ukrainian conflict to establish contacts.
The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits of 1936 ensures the freedom of passage through Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits for merchant ships both in times of peace and war. The document limits the period of stay in the Black Sea of warships of non-Black Sea states to three weeks. In emergency situations, Turkey has the right to prohibit or restrict the passage of military ships through the straits.
