Putin tells Erdoğan Montreux Convention should be preserved

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin has told President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the phone that the Montreux Convention on the regime of the Straits should be preserved, according to a press release by the Kremlin.

"In the context of Turkey's plans to build the İstanbul Canal, the Russian President noted the importance of preserving the 1936 Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits with a view to ensuring regional stability and security," says the Kremlin statement.

Putin's warning comes amid a public debate in Turkey whether the Montreux treaty would apply to Canal İstanbul, a planned artificial waterway parallel to the Bosphorus strait.

The convention restricts the passage of naval ships belonging to states other than the Black Sea countries through the Straits.

Recently, retired diplomats and retired admirals released separate statements against the canal project and opening up of the convention for discussion and warned the government that it should be preserved.

The government accused the retired admirals of making an implicit coup threat and 10 of them have been detained since Monday on charges related to violation of the Constitution.

Erdoğan joined the debate on Monday, saying that Turkey would be committed to the Montreux Convention "until it finds a better one."
"If a need arises in the future, we won't hesitate to review any convention to make our country have a better one," he remarked.
He also said the treaty wouldn't be binding for Canal İstanbul once it was built.

Russia-Ukraine tensions

Putin and Erdoğan also discussed the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

"President Putin emphasized that the 2015 Minsk Package of Measures has no alternative as a foundation for a settlement.

"He expressed concern that Ukraine is dodging the implementation of the Minsk agreements and has recently resumed dangerous provocations on the contact line."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Erdoğan in Ankara tomorrow. (EKN/VK)