Turkey Will Keep Straits Closed To Military Ships While War Against Ukraine Continues

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was stated by Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Güler following a meeting in Bulgaria between the defense ministers and chiefs of staff of Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania, Ukrinform reports, citing the DHA news agency.

“Since the start of the war, we, as Turkey, have strictly adhered to the requirements of the Montreux Convention regarding Black Sea security, thereby preventing the war from spreading to the wider region and minimizing its impact in the Black Sea As long as the current situation persists, we will resolutely continue to apply the existing rules governing the passage of military vessels through the Turkish straits,” Güler stated.

The minister emphasized that the nearly five-year-long war has significantly affected security in the Black Sea. He also noted that the armed forces of Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania have already jointly taken important measures to ensure the safety of navigation and will continue to take all additional necessary measures, based on the principle of regional responsibility and available capabilities.

“To counter the mine threat caused by the war and ensure the safety of navigation, a mine-countermeasures operation is being conducted with the involvement of national naval forces and naval aviation. The three coastal countries have established the MCM BLACK SEA mine-countermeasures task force in the Black Sea based on the principle of regional responsibility,” the minister emphasized.

Güler noted that, in addition to countering drifting mines, it is necessary to focus on protecting critical underwater infrastructure.

“Turkey has assumed command of the maritime component within the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine. It will continue to consistently contribute to strengthening peace and stability in the region,” the minister assured.

Read also: Defense minister: Black Sea war is one of Turkey 's security policy priorities

He emphasized that from the very first day of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Turkey has maintained clear support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, according to the Turkish minister, thanks to open channels of dialogue with Russia, Ankara is trying to prevent regional crises from escalating.

As reported by Ukrinform, the tasks of the Bulgarian, Romanian, and Turkish naval mine-countermeasures group are set to include monitoring critical underwater infrastructure. According to Bulgarian Navy Commander Kiril Mihaylov, the start of this new mission depends on the ratification of relevant documents by the Turkish parliament.

Photo: AA

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