Montreux Convention (1936)

21-12-21 Explanation of the Montreux Convention - Anders > .

0:00 Introduction

0:58 The historical context
3:20 The rules
8:54 Misunderstandings about the Montreux Convention
9:46 The Montreux Convention and UNCLOS

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Aegean Tensions ..

Black Sea & Dardanelles ..
Blue Economy ..

Chokepoints - Turkish Straits ..

Europe's Three Seas Initiative ..

Montreux Convention (1936) ..

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Turkey versus Greece - Mediterranean O&G ..

UNCLOS - Law of the Sea 1994 ..

White Sea–Baltic Canal ..

The (Montreux) Convention regarding the Regime of the Straits, often known simply as the Montreux Convention, is an international agreement governing the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits in Turkey. Signed on 20 July 1936 at the Montreux Palace in Switzerland, it went into effect on 9 November 1936, addressing the long running Straits Question over who should control the strategically vital link between the Black and Mediterranean seas.

The Montreux Convention regulates maritime traffic through the Turkish Straits. It guarantees "complete freedom" of passage for all civilian vessels in times of peace. In peacetime, military vessels are limited in number, tonnage and weaponry, with specific provisions governing their mode of entry and duration of stay. If they want to pass through the Strait, warships must provide advance notification to the Turkish authorities, which, in turn, must inform the parties to the convention. In wartime, if Turkey is not involved in the conflict, warships of the nations at war may not pass through the Straits, except when returning to their base. When Turkey is at war, or feels threatened by a war, it may take any decision about the passage of warships as it sees fit. The USA is not a signatory to the Convention.

While it was designed for a particular geopolitical context, and remains unchanged since its adoption, the Montreux Convention has endured as a "solid example of a rules-based international order", since most of its terms are still followed.