Columnist Seth Cropsey in an article for an American newspaper Top He stated that the United States should persuade Turkey to open the Black Sea to NATO ships in order to strengthen the North Atlantic Alliance.
He pointed out how US President Joe Biden recognizes the interests of his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and will “ignore” him.
To do this, the journalist suggested that Washington sell the necessary Western military technologies to Ankara. According to him, this will strengthen NATO and persuade Turkey to lift its veto on the participation of Sweden and Finland in this organization.
“States must not only bribe the state of Asia Minor, but also ask it in exchange for access to the Black Sea. This would be a move to escalate and undermine Erdogan’s diplomatic role in Russia-Ukraine relations, but thanks to such a decision, the bloc will gain a huge strategic advantage,” he said.
Former Turkish authorities blocked The start of negotiations on the joining of Finland and Sweden in the North Atlantic Alliance.
At the end of April, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar declarationIt has been announced that there are no warships coming from outside the region in the Black Sea. He noted that the movement of NATO ships in the waters could increase the tension in the Black Sea region.
Akar also emphasized that Ankara will not allow warships to enter the Black Sea.
Turkey is bound by the Montreux Convention adopted in 1936. According to the document, warships of countries other than the Black Sea cannot stay in the Black Sea for more than three weeks. In emergencies, Turkey has the right to prohibit or restrict passage through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, unless it is a party to an armed conflict.
Source: Gazeta
