Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned in recent hours that the recent escalation of attacks in the Black Sea poses a serious threat to maritime security, sending a direct message to both Russia and Ukraine over the latest attacks on commercial ships and civilian vessels.
“We have prevented the war (between Russia and Ukraine) from spilling over into the Black Sea by strictly applying the Montreux Convention. However, the recent attacks exchanged by the sides seriously threaten maritime security,” Erdoğan said during a speech to Turkish ambassadors meeting in Ankara on 16 December, quoted by public media TRTHaber. Turkey has maintained a blockade on the passage of warships through the Straits into the Black Sea since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, under the convention signed in 1936.
“Attacking merchant ships and civilian vessels is in nobody’s interest. We are clearly conveying our warnings to both sides,” the Turkish leader stressed. In the past two weeks, Ukraine attacked two commercial ships bound for a Russian port within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone, while Russia has attacked at least two Turkish ships docked in Ukrainian ports in the past month, prompting Ankara to call on both countries not to extend the conflict to the Black Sea.
Erdoğan insisted in this regard that Turkey’s goal is to achieve an end to the war through a negotiated settlement, and reiterated his readiness to contribute to peace efforts to this end. “In 2025, we brought the two countries together three times. The humanitarian achievements that emerged from the Istanbul process represent a success of Turkish diplomacy,” he said.
Turkish fighters intercepted a drone over the Black Sea
On Syria, the Turkish president called the fall of the Assad dictatorship after more than half a century in power a historic turning point for the Syrian people. “Some 580,000 Syrians have already returned to their country. We believe this number will increase as stability and well-being (in Syria) spread,” Erdoğan said, stressing that Türkiye will continue to support Damascus in the fight against all terrorist groups, including ISIS.
He also called for the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate into the new Syrian army in line with the agreement with the new Damascus government reached last March. “It is clear who would benefit from the fragmentation and division of Syria, and the weakening of its national unity and integrity,” he warned in a clear reference to recent Israeli interventions.
Turkey’s defence ministry reported yesterday the downing of an “out-of-control” drone that approached Turkish airspace from the Black Sea, the latest in a series of maritime security incidents linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. According to the statement issued from Ankara, F-16 fighter jets took off to intercept the object and “to avoid any potential damage, it was shot down in a safe area outside populated areas”. The ministry did not provide further details on the exact location and time of the incident.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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