Germany appreciates Turkey’s crucial role in Black Sea

Germany has welcomed Turkey's move to enact the provisions of the Montreux Convention, limiting the passage of warships into Black Sea in response to Russia-Ukraine war.

"Germany appreciates #Turkey's crucial role, especially at this difficult time, as the guardian of the Montreux Convention which regulates the passage through the #Bosphorus and Dardanelles Strait, also in time of war," the German Foreign Ministry said on Twitter late Tuesday.

"Thank you for ensuring its continued application," the ministry said.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Tuesday that Ankara has sent official notifications to the relevant countries, and clarified issues with regards to the implementation of the Montreux Convention.

He said Russia wanted to transit four naval vessels into Black Sea last week, but three of them were not registered to Black Sea home bases.

"We told Russia not to send these ships. And Russia told us that these ships will not sail through the straits," he said.

The 1936 Montreux Convention gives Turkey the authority to restrict the passage of naval vessels through the Turkish straits at times of war. Russian warships returning to their home port are exempt from the restrictions, according to the articles of the convention.

Since Russia began its war on Ukraine last Thursday, it has been met with outrage from the international community. The EU, UK, Canada, Japan, and the US have implemented a range of financial sanctions on Moscow.

Many Western countries are also supplying Ukraine with weapons, have shut their airspace for Russian airlines, and banned or restricted Russian state-run media.

The number of people who have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries has reached 677,000, according to the UNHCR.