MOSCOW, July 20./TASS/. Russia must bear it in mind that the 85-year-long experience of successful functioning of the Montreux Convention does not preclude the possibility of reviewing the agreement on the straits, a senior scientific worker from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, Boris Dolgov, told TASS on Tuesday.
The expert from the institute’s Center of Arab and Islamic Studies reminded the interlocutor about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s trip to Antalya in June for talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Moscow said back then that it was "satisfied with the cooperation" of its Turkish partners on issues on the implementation of the convention and pledges it received that the agreement would not be revised.
"We must also bear in mind the historical factor. Russia and Turkey have a rather long relationship, during which they have had conflicts, including military ones, and also periods of partnerships, as well as times when Turkey pledged its loyalty and good relationship with Russia and then stopped these pledges and new conflicts came," the expert stressed.
"Our Russian diplomacy has rich experience. And, actually, these pledges must be sufficient at this stage," he said, noting that the historical background of bilateral relations must also be taken into account.
Dolgov admitted that the Russian Foreign Ministry makes such structural analysis, expressing confidence that its "general optimism must be also substantiated by concrete moves" apart from a number of giving a common ground "economic and military-political factors".
"Russia is also interested in economic cooperation with Turkey, that is why we hear such optimistic statements from the Foreign Ministry," he went on to say. "Turkey will be advancing its interests, its expansion. And an offer to review or replace the Montreux Convention is quite possible from Turkey. And here Russia must have its say, since this affects its interests in many respects," he added.
In this connection, the expert mentioned, in particular, Russia’s communication with military-economic facilities in Syria through the straits, as well as the passage of Russian ships, including warships, to the Mediterranean. "Here, Russia’s interests are engaged directly. This issue must be settled preventively, before a new channel is built, before Turkey expresses someway its claims or proposals regarding changes to the Montreux Convention, which is quite possible," Dolgov stressed. "Let us hope that Turkey will comply with its pledges and commitments, also taking into account the historical experience of relations with Russia," the expert added.
Turkey’s ambitions
"Turkey is carrying out an active foreign policy in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the Arab world and other regions, including the region of the South Caucasus," he went on to say. "This activity of Turkey is also connected with the fact that it describes itself as the successor of the Ottoman Empire and advances its interests to all regions that were once part of the empire, including Russian regions, in particular Crimea. This must also be taken into consideration, as well as the fact that Turkey also views itself as the leader of the Muslim world," he stressed.
"Turkey is rather successful in its foreign policy - in Libya, Syria, in the Arab world in general and in the South Caucasus. There are no forces here that would directly oppose this advancement of Turkish interests," Dolgov went on to say.
He also pointed to the passive stance of the West. "The collective West is not particularly eager to oppose Turkey. Although we see attempts from Greece and France, these are isolated examples. In general, the West does not particularly hinder the advancement of Turkish interests, despite the fact that the interests of the West - specifically in France and other countries - are also hurt by a wave of migrants with Islamist elements among them," the expert said.
"This is the moment that Turkey seizes. New opportunities have now opened up for Turkey to advance its interests," Dolgov concluded.
Istanbul Canal project
The Istanbul Canal project was first announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2011. The waterway is meant to become a major new shipping artery in western Istanbul, connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. In December 2019, Erdogan stressed that the canal will not be covered by the Montreux Convention.
The Convention, adopted in 1936 in the city of Montreux, enshrined free passage through the Bosphorus strait and the Dardanelles for trade ships only. Meanwhile, it significantly limits the class and displacement of military ships for non-Black Sea nations. Black Sea nations may move military ships of any class through the straits during peacetime by notifying the Turkish authorities beforehand.