MOSCOW, May 13 /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to raise the question of Russian presence in the Black Sea, which, according to him, has turned into a Russian lake, at the NATO summit in Warsaw on July 8-9, the Turkish media said.

Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, the head of the Russian State Duma Committee for Defense, advised the Turkish president to study the 1936 Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits more attentively.

"Today when the Black Sea Fleet is marking the 233rd anniversary of its foundation, I would like to remind Mr Erdogan that at the start of the Christian era the Black Sea was called Euxeinos Pontos. It became the Russian Sea in IX century and practically remained as such until 1991," Komoyedov told journalists on Friday.

He noted that the naval forces of six states that are currently deployed on the Black Sea shores were in a position to provide regional security on condition of friendly interaction with each other.

"As for the elements of the missile defense system in Romania and NATO’s Black Sea fleet, I would like to remind you that in the summer of 2001, when I was the Black Sea commander, we and the command of the Turkish Navy created the Black Sea Force," the head of the State Duma Defense Committee said. The Black Sea Force unites the Black Sea states such as Turkey, Romania, Ukraine and Georgia. "I repeat that it’s more than enough for ensuring regional security," Komoyedov said.

"As for the [Russian] lake, I advise Mr Erdogan to read the Montreux Convention more attentively. It does not give him the right to ban the passage of ships. The warships of the Black Sea states notify Turkey of their passage," the Russian politician concluded.