ISTANBUL, August 23. /TASS/. Attempts to create alternative corridors for exports of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports that ignore Russian interests are dangerous and fraught with the potential to spark conflict across the entire Black Sea basin, a diplomatic source in Turkey told TASS.

"Implementation of plans to export agricultural products from Ukrainian ports, via the territorial waters of Romania and Bulgaria in particular, while disregarding Russian interests, are fraught with danger and may lead to a conflict situation in the Black Sea basin. Given that Romania and Bulgaria are NATO countries, the probability is high that the alliance will apply pressure on Turkey for the purpose of loosening its compliance with the requirements of the Montreux Convention regulating the rules for navigation in the Black Sea straits," the source said. Turkey has closed the straits to the passage of warships from all countries into the Black Sea since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, referring to the right granted to Ankara by the Montreux Convention, he noted.

The West may well attempt to put pressure on Turkey in terms of the Montreux Convention, but such attempts will not bear fruit, Huseyin Bagci, director of the Institute of Foreign Policy of Turkey, told TASS. "Such attempts were made before but they were useless," he noted.