Turkish defense ministry: Montreux Convention remains in force

Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said his country will fully comply with the Montreux Convention regarding the regime of the straits as tensions around Ukraine are mounting.

Ankara will also continue to reach out to Moscow and Kiev in a bid to help their relations to come back to normal, he said.

The regime of the straits, which the convention established to regulate the transit of warships, "benefits all sides," the minister said on TRT television. "Abandoning the convention isn’t under discussion," he said.

"Regarding a Black Sea dialogue, Turkey does all it should," Akar said. "We will continue our dialogue with Russia and Ukraine and will fulfill our NATO obligations."

The Montreux Convention regulates navigation in the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits and lays out the rules for time and tonnage regarding the transit and presence of warships not belonging to Black Sea states.