Crimea calls for amendment of Montreux Convention on the Black Sea
The Chairman of the Crimean Parliamentary Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations Yuri Gempel stated that the Montreux Convention regulating maritime navigation in the straits of the Black Sea needs to be amended.
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| NATO warships in the Black Sea. Photo: AFP |
He commented after NATO warships entered the Black Sea, where they will conduct exercises with Georgia and Ukraine.
“In all this, the sound of weapons is clearly heard. Such behavior by the United States in the Black Sea causes tension. If it continues, it is necessary to raise the question of amending the Montreux Convention in terms of reducing the time allotted for NATO warships to be present in the Black Sea. It is impossible to allow foreign groups of ships to create a hotbed of tension in this Black Sea region,” said Mr. Gempel.
In his opinion, all visits by foreign warships should be approved by the countries in the Black Sea region and should not run counter to the policy of good neighborliness.
The Montreux Convention of 1936 determined the regime of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. Accordingly, merchant ships of all countries can freely navigate through the straits, both in peacetime and in wartime, while for military ships there are restrictions on the class of ship and the length of stay.
For example, ships of countries not from the Black Sea region can stay here for no more than 21 days and nights.
