The Montreux Convention is an agreement entered into by a number of countries in 1936. In accordance with it, Turkey received full control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles. The convention owes its name to the Swiss city of Montreux, where it was signed. The agreement guarantees the free passage of civilian ships through the Black Sea straits in peacetime. At the same time, the Montreux Convention imposes certain restrictions on the movement of warships. First of all, they concern non-Black Sea states.
The provisions of the convention have been a source of controversy and controversy for many years. They were mainly related to the access of the Soviet Navy to the Mediterranean Sea. Subsequently, some amendments were made to this international agreement, but it still remains in force.
Lausanne Conference
The 1936 Montreux Convention was the logical conclusion of a series of treaties designed to resolve the so-called "straits question". The core of this longstanding problem was the lack of international consensus on which country should controlstrategically important routes from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. In 1923, an agreement was signed in Lausanne that demilitarized the Dardanelles and ensured the free transit of civilian and military ships under the supervision of the League of Nations.
Prerequisites for concluding a new treaty
The establishment of the fascist regime in Italy seriously complicated the situation. Turkey feared Mussolini's attempts to use access to the straits to extend his power over the entire Black Sea region. First of all, Anatolia could have been subjected to aggression from Italy.
The Turkish government has approached the countries that participated in the signing of the agreement in Lausanne with a proposal to hold a conference to discuss a new regime for the passage of ships through the straits. The need for this step was explained by strong changes in the international situation. Due to the denunciation of the Treaty of Versailles by Germany, tensions in Europe grew. Many countries were interested in creating security guarantees for strategically important straits.
Participants of the Lausanne Conference responded to Turkey's call and decided to gather in the Swiss city of Montreux to reach a new agreement. Only Italy was not represented in the negotiations. This fact has a simple explanation: it was her expansionist policy that became one of the reasons for organizing this conference.
Discussion progress
Turkey, Great Britain and the Soviet Union put forward proposals aimed at protecting theirown interests. The United Kingdom was in favor of maintaining most of the bans. The Soviet Union supported the idea of absolutely free passage. Turkey called for the liberalization of the regime, thus seeking to restore its control over the straits. Great Britain tried to prevent the presence of the Soviet navy in the Mediterranean Sea, which could threaten the vital routes linking the mother country with India.
Ratification
After lengthy debate, the United Kingdom agreed to make concessions. The Soviet Union managed to achieve the lifting of certain restrictions on the passage of warships through the straits from the Black Sea states. Britain's complicity was due to the desire not to allow Turkey to become an ally of Hitler or Mussolini. The Montreux Convention on the Black Sea was ratified by all participants of the conference. The document entered into force in November 1936.
Basics
The text of the Montreux convention is divided into 29 articles. The agreement guarantees the merchant ships of any state absolute freedom of navigation in the straits in peacetime. The Commission of the League of Nations responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Treaty of Lausanne was abolished. Turkey received the right to take control of the straits and close them to all foreign warships in the event of an armed conflict.
Prohibitions
The Montreux Convention imposes a number of specific restrictions on the class and tonnage of warships. Non-Black Sea countries have the right to pass through the straits onlysmall surface ships. Their total tonnage should not exceed 30,000 tons. The maximum period of stay in the waters of ships of non-Black Sea powers is 21 days.
The Convention allows Turkey to prohibit or allow navigation at its discretion if its government considers that the country is under the threat of war. In accordance with paragraph 5 of the Montreux Convention, restrictions may apply to ships of any state.
Privileges
The Black Sea states have been granted the right to conduct warships of any class and tonnage through the straits. A prerequisite for this is prior notice to the Turkish government. Article 15 of the Montreux Convention also provides for the possibility of transit of submarines for these countries.
The Montreux Convention on the Status of the Straits reflected the international situation in the 1930s. Granting greater rights to the Black Sea powers was a concession to Turkey and the Soviet Union. Only these two countries had a significant number of large military vessels in the region.
Consequences
The Montreux Straits Convention influenced the course of World War II. It greatly limited the possibility of deploying hostilities in the Black Sea for Nazi Germany and its allies. They were forced to arm their merchant ships and try to get them through the straits. This led to serious diplomatic friction between Turkey and Germany. Repeated protests from the Soviet Union and Britain pushed Ankara towards a total banmovement of any suspicious ships in the straits.
Controversial item
The Turkish government claims that the convention does not allow the passage of aircraft carriers through the straits. But in reality, the document does not contain an unambiguous mention of this. The Convention sets a limit of 15,000 tons for a single ship of a non-Black Sea power. The tonnage of any modern aircraft carrier exceeds this value. This provision of the convention actually prohibits non-Black Sea states from passing ships of this type through the straits.
The definition of an aircraft carrier in the text of the agreement was formulated in the 30s of the last century. In those days, shipborne aircraft were used primarily for reconnaissance from the air. The convention states that the presence of a deck intended for takeoff and landing of aircraft does not automatically classify a ship as an aircraft carrier.
The Black Sea states have the right to conduct warships of any tonnage through the straits. However, the annex to the convention explicitly excludes from their number ships designed primarily for the transport of naval aviation.
Flanking maneuver
The Soviet Union found a way to overcome this ban. The way out was the creation of the so-called aircraft-carrying cruisers. These ships were equipped with sea-launched ballistic missiles. The presence of strike weapons formally did not allow them to be classified as aircraft carriers. Usually,large-caliber missiles were placed on cruisers.
This enabled the Soviet Union to freely pass its aircraft carriers through the straits in full compliance with the provisions of the convention. The passage remained prohibited for NATO ships belonging to this class, the tonnage of which exceeded 15,000 tons. Turkey preferred to recognize the right of the Soviet Union to transit aircraft-carrying cruisers. The revision of the convention was not in the interests of Ankara, since it could reduce the degree of its control over the straits.
Adjustment attempts
Currently, most of the provisions of the international treaty remain in force. However, the convention regularly becomes the cause of fierce disputes and disagreements. Attempts are periodically made to return to the discussion of the status of the straits.
After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union turned to Turkey with a proposal to establish joint control over access from the Black to the Mediterranean Sea. Ankara responded with a firm refusal. Serious pressure from the Soviet Union could not force her to change her position. The tension that arose in relations with Moscow became the reason for the termination of Turkey's policy of neutrality. Ankara was forced to look for allies in the face of the UK and the US.
Violations
The convention prohibits warships of non-Black Sea states from having on board artillery, the caliber of which exceeds 203 mm. In the 60s of the last century, US military ships equipped with anti-submarine missiles passed through the straits. It sparked protestsfrom the side of the Soviet Union, since the caliber of this weapon was 420 mm.
However, Turkey stated that there was no violation of the Montreux Convention. According to her government, ballistic missiles are not artillery and are not subject to the treaty. Over the past decade, US warships have repeatedly violated the maximum stay in the Black Sea, but Turkish officials have not acknowledged violations of the convention.
