ISTANBUL, June 26. /TASS/. The Ukrainian conflict must be resolved via negotiations, diplomacy must not be pushed into background, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after the talks with his counterparts from Poland and Romania in Warsaw.
"We advocate that negotiations are given priority in all conflicts and wars. The diplomacy option must not be pushed into background," Fidan said.
According to the foreign minister, Turkey strictly adheres to the Montreux Convention, which regulates navigation in the Black Sea Straits, which plays an important role in reduction of tensions in the Black Sea.
"We strictly adhere to the Montreux Convention and will continue to do that," Fidan said.
He noted that the anti-mine naval group of Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria will also contribute to ensuring security in the Black Sea.
"Floating mines are a source of danger for us. As a regional country, we proposed an initiative to establish an anti-mine group, and we will develop such cooperation," the top diplomat said.
Earlier, the media reported that the anti-mine group will begin patrolling the Black Sea in July.
Turkey has repeatedly stated that it strictly adheres to the Montreux Convention, signed in 1936. In accordance with Article 19 of the Convention, after the beginning of the special military operation, Turkey shut down Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits area for passage of military ships of the participants of the conflict, as well as non-littoral countries, in order to prevent further escalation of tensions in the Black Sea. The memorandum on establishment of the anti-mine naval group in the Black Sea was signed by Defense Ministries of Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria earlier in January.