Explained: Importance of Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits in Russia-Ukraine conflict and Turkey’s role

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to rage with the Russian army been given orders to broaden its offensive in Ukraine “from all directions” after Kyiv refused to hold talks in Belarus.

In the midst of this battle and chaos, the spotlight has moved to the Black Sea after Ukraine urged Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to Russian ships.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara said the country expected solidarity from NATO member Turkey and that it should not remain impartial after Russia launched an offensive.

How exactly does this fit into the Ukraine-Russia crisis? What’s the importance of the Black Sea in this issue and is it possible for Turkey to do what Ukraine has asked?

Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits

First off, let’s try to understand what are these two areas and the geographical significance they hold.

The straits, also known as the Turkish Straits or the Black Sea Straits, connect the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea via the Sea of Marmara. The Bosphorus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, while the Dardanelles connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

The Bosphorus is about 19 miles long and varies in width between one-third and two miles. The Dardanelles is about 35 miles long, its width decreases from four miles at the Aegean to about 0.7 miles at its narrowest.

The Bosphorus Strait has played a major role in world trade for centuries. About 48,000 vessels transit the straits each year, making this area one of the world’s busiest maritime gateways.

The Bosphorus is also one of the world’s most important chokepoints for the maritime transit of oil.

Over 3 per cent of global supply or three million barrels per day, mainly from Russia and the Caspian Sea, passes through the waterway.

The route also ships vast amounts of grains from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to world markets.

For the unversed, the Black Sea which is located between Europe and Asia, has Russia to its northeast, Ukraine to the north, Georgia to the east, Turkey to the south and Bulgaria and Romania to the west.

Interestingly, three of these six nations — Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania — are members of NATO.

Rustem Umerov, a Ukrainian member of parliament from Crimea, explained to The Independent in a report the importance of the water way. “The Black Sea is Russia’s entrance to the world – including the Mediterranean and Atlantic spheres of influence.”

A 2020 report also highlighting the importance of the Black Sea to Russia, had said, “The Black Sea is important because of the significant access that it offers to Russia – in particular, access to global sea lines of communication and opportunities to project power at a strategic distance and expand its air and coastal defences.”

Trade through the Black Sea

A Bloomberg report stated that the Black Sea is a major artery for the movement of commodities at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

Crude oil, refined oil, agricultural product and iron and steel are all transported through the Black Sea.

According to the Bloomberg report, Ukraine and Russia together account for more than a quarter of global wheat exports, nearly a fifth of corn trade and the bulk of sunflower oil.

Romania and Bulgaria have also become increasingly prominent crop shippers. Rich, fertile soils have helped Ukraine become the second-largest grain shipper.

Those products are sent by truck, rail and barge to ports for shipment to Asia, Africa and the European Union.

Due to this conflict, shipping from the Sea of Azov was suspended on Thursday, stranding more than 150 vessels.

Additionally, Ukraine’s steel makes up about a tenth of Europe’s imports, so disruption to mills or shipments would tighten the continent’s already strained market and help keep prices high after they reached a record last year.

Montreux Convention

On Thursday, Ukraine asked Turkey to close Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, also known as the Turkish Straits, under the Montreaux Convention.

For those wondering what this agreement is and how it plays into the battle, here’s some clarity on the issue.

Signed in 1936, the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits {known as the Montreux Convention} gives Turkey control over the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits and regulates the transit of naval warships.

Signed on 20 July 1936 at the Montreux Palace in Switzerland, the Convention permitted Turkey to remilitarise​ the Straits. It went into effect on 9 November 1936 and was registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series on 11 December 1936.

The Montreux Convention guarantees free passage of civilian vessels to use the Turkish straits, unless they are from a country that Turkey is engaged in war with, giving it the authority to close the straits to all merchant ships if it chooses.

However, the accord isn’t that clear when it comes to warships and that’s where the controversy arises.

The accord states that if Turkey is at war, Ankara has the right to do whatever is necessary, including closing the straits. If other states are at war and Turkey is neutral, the straits are closed for those belligerent countries.

In peacetime, the rules are a bit more complicated.

The convention does not allow aircraft carriers, but it does not mention ships that are designed for other purposes but can also carry aircraft. In this case, Ankara is the ultimate decision-maker depending on war and peacetime.

The Turkish government must also authorise aircraft if they cross over the straits.

Submarines are also not allowed to pass the Turkish straits. But Black Sea states — Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia — can build submarines outside the Black Sea and transport them through the straits, and can exit the Black Sea for maintenance by providing adequate notice.

Turkey now in a precarious situation

The Ukraine request has put Ankara in a bind, as it shares good diplomatic ties with Moscow. On the other hand, it also has to fulfil its obligations as a NATO ally.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Turkey could not abandon its ties with either country and that it would take steps to ensure relations remain intact.

Reacting to Ukraine’s call, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country was studying Kyiv’s request but said Russia had the right under the Convention to return ships to their home base, in this case, the Black Sea.

If Turkey decided after a legal process to accept Ukraine’s request and close the straits to Russian warships, he said, they would only be prevented from travelling in the other direction, away from their home base into the Mediterranean.

“If countries involved in the war make a request to return their vessels to their bases, that needs to be allowed,” the Hurriyet newspaper quoted Cavusoglu as saying.

Cavusoglu added that Turkish legal experts were still trying to determine whether the conflict in Ukraine could be defined as a war, which would allow the convention mandates to be invoked.

It is left to be seen what happens in the future, but most experts believe that Turkey will not accede to Ukraine’s demands.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.