Marwa Shaheen - Beth:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that his country supports Ukraine's sovereignty over its entire united territory.

The Turkish government revealed that it had officially notified Russia of its decision to prevent Russian warships from crossing the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.

On Monday evening, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed that his country would prevent warships of "riparian and non-riparian countries of the Black Sea" from crossing the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.

The Turkish decision came in response to the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who, last Saturday, renewed his country's call for Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian warships.

The Turkish Foreign Minister also stressed that Ankara will continue uninterruptedly its multidimensional diplomatic initiatives in order to ensure peace and stability between Russia and Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stressed that his country will not abandon its relations with either Russia or Ukraine, but said that Turkey will implement an international charter that allows it to close the sea straits at the entrance to the Black Sea to warships of the warring countries.

The 1936 Montreux Convention gives Turkey the right to prevent warships from using the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits during the war.

What is the Montreux Convention? What are its most important clauses?

The Montreux Convention was signed on July 20, 1936 in the Swiss city of Montreux, with the participation of countries including the Soviet Union, Turkey, Britain, France, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Japan and Australia.

This agreement, which consists of 29 articles, 4 annexes and a protocol, replaced the article of the Turkish straits in the Treaty of Lausanne, and as a result, traffic was regulated through the straits of Turkey, and through it Turkey regained full sovereignty over the sea straits.

What are the most important clauses of the agreement?

In wartime, non-belligerent merchant ships will enter with Turkey, regardless of tonnage, without any hindrance. But Turkey has the right to prevent the commercial ships of the warring country from entering the strait.

If two countries are at war, Turkey will allow their merchant ships to enter, but only on the condition that they do not transport military supplies.

Turkey can impose a certain procedure on the transit of commercial ships of other countries, if it feels that there is a security threat surrounding it.

According to Article 20 of the treaty, if Turkey is one of the countries not participating in the war, the warships of all countries not participating in the war can pass through the strait. And if Turkey was a party to the war, then, according to Article 21 of the treaty, it has the right to dispose of the procedures in the strait as it pleases, but without violating the charters and norms of international law related to maritime navigation.