Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to preserve an international convention, beneficial to Moscow, which regulates marine traffic through the Black Sea straits.
Turkey last month approved plans to develop a new canal connecting Istanbul to the Black Sea, which according to the government would ease traffic on the Bosphorus, one of the most congested straits in the world that has seen several shipping accidents in recent years.
The project, however, has drawn criticism over its cost and environmental impact, and raised concerns over Turkey s commitment to the 1936 Montreux Convention that governs passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.
“In view of the Turkish plans to build the Istanbul Canal,the Russian side emphasised the importance of preserving the existing regime of the Black Sea straits in accordance with the provisions of the Montreux Convention of 1936 in order to ensure regional stability and security,” the Kremlin said in a statement on Friday.
