SOFIA, January 30. /TASS/. Turkey intends to continue to fully adhere to the provisions of the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference following talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Mariya Gabriel.

"We will continue to implement the provisions of the Montreux Convention in full. There is no question of even thinking otherwise, let alone discussing such a probability," Fidan emphasized.

Earlier in January, Turkey's National Security Council expressed the readiness to continue efforts to ensure peace and stability in the Black Sea within the framework of implementing the provisions of the Montreux Convention.

On December 11, 2023, the British Defense Ministry said that it would transfer two Sandown minesweepers to Ukraine to improve security in the Black Sea. The ministry expressed the hope that thanks to these deliveries Ukraine would be able to increase its exports of products in the Black Sea. The British Ministry of Defense explained this support "will be long term to help Ukraine transform its navy, making it more compatible with western allies, more interoperable with NATO, and bolstering security in the Black Sea."

On January 2, the Turkish authorities denied reports that they had allegedly allowed minesweepers, which Britain had donated to Ukraine, to pass through the Black Sea straits. Turkey has repeatedly stated that it strictly complies with the Montreux Convention, and on the basis of its 19th article, with the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, it closed the area of the straits (Bosporus and Dardanelles) for the passage of warships in order to prevent another surge of tension in the Black Sea. Ankara also emphasized that it continued its efforts to respect the principle of "regional responsibility" in the Black Sea so as not to upset the balance there.

The Montreux Convention was signed on July 20, 1936 and entered into force on November 9 of the same year. It asserted Turkey's sovereignty over the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, transferring to it the functions of monitoring and controlling the passage of ships. At the same time, the convention regulates the passage of warships, while civilian ships of all countries retain freedom of passage through the straits both in peacetime and wartime.