According to Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk, Ukraine cannot bring its warships, which are needed for demining, into the Black Sea. He officially confirmed that Turkey, which is known to be a NATO member, does not allow this.
What is happening in the Black Sea as of December 17
Dmytro Pletenchuk has officially reacted to the planned signing of an agreement on joint demining of the Black Sea between Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania without the participation of Ukraine and Ukrainian specialists.
He points out that official Kyiv is not allowed to board its ships because of the Montreux Convention, which was ratified in Ankara.
According to him, the key problem is that Ukraine and Russia are still at war, and the Turkish authorities cannot allow warships of the warring states to pass through.
Accordingly, we cannot use our mine countermeasures ships, which already have trained crews. Yes, from this point of view, this is a problem, the navy spokesman explained.
He also stressed that the level of security is insufficient for the Black Sea demining campaign during the full-scale war with Russia, as there is a violator — Russia — that must comply with absolutely all the rules.
What is important to know about the Montreux Convention
This document, which aimed to restore Turkey's sovereignty over the straits from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, was signed on 20 July 1936.
The Convention preserves the freedom of passage through the strait for merchant ships of all countries in both peacetime and wartime.
However, the regime of passage for warships differs for Black Sea and non-Black Sea states.
According to experts, if official Ankara is involved in a war, and if it believes that it is directly threatened by war, Turkey has the right to allow or prohibit the passage of any warships through the straits.
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