May 18, 2016 (EIRNS)
While attention has been focused on NATO provocations in the Baltic, the Black Sea — thanks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — could become the next hotspot in the encirclement of Russia. Hurriyet Daily News commentator Serkan Demirtas writes that Erdogan will now take over Turkish foreign policy, and make the Black Sea a new focus of attention.
Demirtas warns that Erdogan is making a radical departure from Turkey’s historically cautious policy regarding the Black Sea, which is based on the 1937 Montreux Convention. The Convention gives all countries access through the Bosporus Straits, but bans passage to aircraft carriers from non-Black Sea states, thus keeping U.S. carriers out. Turkey has also traditionally assured the U.S. Navy kept a low profile in the region.
Erdogan is currently changing this policy. Demirtas refers to a speech Erdogan made last week at a meeting of visiting chiefs…
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Susanna Panevin 