Türkiye Rejects Greece’s Objection Over “Turkish Straits”

(MENAFN) Türkiye’s permanent representative to the United Nations sent a formal letter to the UN leadership dismissing Greece’s objection to the use of the expression "Turkish Straits" during a recent Security Council session. Ankara described the Greek stance as "unfortunate" and driven by political motives rather than objective considerations.

In a letter dated May 8 and addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council President Fu Cong, Türkiye’s UN Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz stated that Greece’s remarks during the April 29 meeting "diverted attention from substantive issues under discussion and appeared to aim at serving domestic considerations rather than contributing to the objectives of the meeting."

He further emphasized, "Türkiye firmly and totally rejects Greece's unfounded assertions," adding that "attempts to politicize a widely used geographical term do not contribute to constructive dialogue, regional stability or the proper understanding of the 1936 Montreux Convention regime."

Yildiz also underlined that the term "Turkish Straits" is "a well-established geographical expression" used to collectively describe the Istanbul Strait and Canakkale Strait, both of which fall under Türkiye’s sovereignty. He concluded that "The term Turkish Straits is descriptive, geographically accurate and fully compatible with the continued application of the Montreux Convention."

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