Russia cancelled Black Sea passage bid of four warships: Turkey

Foreign minister says Moscow’s request to pass ships through Turkish straits was withdrawn on Ankara’s objection on February 27-28.

Russia has canceled a bid to send four of its warships through Turkish waters into the Black Sea at Turkey’s request, according to the Turkish government.

A NATO member and neighbor of Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea, Turkey has good ties with both and adopted cautious rhetoric on the crisis following the Russian forces’ invasion last week.

On Monday, Ankara said its Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits have been closed under a 1936 pact since the early days of the violence in Ukraine.

Under the Montreux Convention, Turkey has control over the straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black Sea and can limit the passage of warships during wartime or if threatened. The pact exempts vessels returning to their bases.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told national broadcaster Haberturk late on Tuesday that Turkey had asked Russia not to send its ships through before it labeled Moscow’s invasion a “war” on Sunday, legally allowing it to curb passages under the convention.

“Russia has said four of its ships would cross the straits on February 27-28, three of which are not registered to bases in the Black Sea,” Cavusoglu said.

“We told Russia not to send these ships and Russia said the vessels would not cross the straits,” he also said, adding that Turkey informed the states that are party to the pact on the development.

“Nobody should be offended by this because the Montreux Convention is valid today, yesterday and tomorrow, so we will implement it,” the foreign minister said.