Russian Foreign Minister: We Received Assurance from Turkey for Kanal Istanbul

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Kanal Istanbul received assurances from Turkey that it would not facilitate the access of foreign warships to the Black Sea region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met in Antalya.

In a joint press release issued after the meeting, Lavrov said that he received assurances from Turkey that he would not facilitate the access of foreign warships to the Black Sea region, which is strategically important for Moscow.

'Parameters won't change'

“During our negotiations, we formalized the fact that the planned construction of Canal Istanbul will in no way change the parameters governing the presence of foreign ships in the Black Sea,” Lavrov said.

Adding to a question directed to Çavuşoğlu on the "effect of the Kanal Istanbul Project on the fate of Montreux", the Russian Minister said, "We are pleased with the interaction with our Turkish friends and colleagues on the implementation of the Montreux Convention."

'It will not affect Montreux'

As quoted by Euronews, Lavrov said, "The construction of the Istanbul channel, by any means, will not pave the way for foreign troops to take place there."

Answering the question about Kanal Istanbul in the question-and-answer part of the meeting, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said, “Sometimes, there are discussions in Turkey, but also abroad. Does the new channel to be opened have an impact on the Montreux Agreement of Kanal Istanbul? I would like to say clearly that neither Kanal Istanbul has an effect on the Montreux Agreement, nor does the Montreux Agreement have any effect on Kanal Istanbul.”