Russian Ambassador In Ankara Says Istanbul Canal Project Affair Of Turkey

The Istanbul Canal is a project on Turkey's territory and an affair of the country's authorities, Alexey Yerkhov, the Russian Ambassador in Ankara, said on Tuesday, adding that the Russian Foreign Ministry is conducting regular consultations on shipping in the Black Sea

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2021) The Istanbul Canal is a project on Turkey's territory and an affair of the country's authorities, Alexey Yerkhov, the Russian Ambassador in Ankara, said on Tuesday, adding that the Russian Foreign Ministry is conducting regular consultations on shipping in the Black Sea.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced an intention to hold a tender for the construction of the Istanbul Canal, which, in his opinion, "will eliminate the threat of an environmental and man-made catastrophe on the Bosphorus." Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is against the project and calls for holding a referendum regarding the issue.

"This is, first of all, the business of the Turkish authorities, we are talking about an economic project to be implemented on Turkish territory and by Turkey. But we have a ramified system of political consultations, primarily between our foreign ministries, including on the Black Sea and maritime issues, it is regularly discussed between our ministries," Yerkhov told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

According to the diplomat, the project will not cancel the requirements of the Montreux Convention, but new financial requirements or conditions will be presented to the ships that will pass through the new pathway.

On Sunday, 103 retired Turkish admirals published a letter highlighting the need for the country to stay in the Montreux convention amid plans to build a huge canal on the edge of Istanbul, which would not be covered by the treaty. On Monday, media reported that 10 of the retired admirals had been detained. Meanwhile, Erdogan condemned the letter and reaffirmed the country's commitment to the Montreux Convention on the status of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.