ANKARA, February 1. /TASS/. The Turkish side strictly follows the Montreux Convention regulating navigation in the Black Sea straits and has not allowed any warships into the Black Sea since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, the country’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

"Turkey is against the escalation of wars in the region and the entry of new warships into the Black Sea. We strictly adhere to the requirements of the Montreux Convention," the TRT TV channel quoted the top diplomat as saying on Wednesday.

Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that they have not allowed a single warship to enter the Black Sea since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, citing the right granted to them under the Montreux Convention. Last March, Turkey officially informed Russia and Ukraine that it would apply Article 19 of the convention banning the passage of warships through the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.