The montreux convention: a key for understanding the geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea
Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 2024 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Publication Date: 2024
- Doi Number: 10.1080/14683857.2024.2433800
- Journal Name: Southeast European and Black Sea Studies
- Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Historical Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
- Keywords: Black Sea, canal Istanbul, Montreux convention, Turkey
- Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
The Montreux Convention, signed in 1936, regulates the maritime passages of the Turkish Straits -the Bosporus and the Dardanelles- between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. Recent concerns about the Straits relate to changes in regional geopolitics caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union. The NATO membership of Romania and Bulgaria, and the possibility of Georgia and Ukraine soon following suit radically transformed the geopolitics of the Black Sea region. They press for a new regulatory framework for the Straits, but this could only be possible provided that it does not breach Turkish sovereignty, guarantees the traditional freedom of peaceful transit with purely economic motives and maritime necessities, and ensures the collective security of the Black Sea countries.