Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that his country has canceled or postponed some planned NATO exercises in the Black Sea due to the requirements of the Montreux Convention amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

In his statement, he pointed out: “If we join the sanctions, we will not be able to play the mediating role that we have now. We applied the Montreux Convention to warships, but we must keep the airspace, this corridor open, noting that “Outside of Montreux, there have been Russian requests from the United States for the passage of ships. As agreed, we canceled or postponed the planned NATO exercises. We play an important role and fulfill our obligations.”

Cavusoglu stressed that Ankara “was saying in principle from the very beginning that it would only join the UN sanctions,” adding: “Now everyone can impose sanctions against anyone. It’s their business. We have chosen the role of mediator and we are trying to de-escalate the situation.” This is our desired position in the European Union and in the world.” And he pointed out that “Turkey’s non-involvement in the sanctions imposed against Russia does not mean that they can be circumvented through Ankara.”