Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (CNN)- Turkey has officially described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a war, in a move that experts said it may hinder some Moscow military activities in the region.
Last Thursday, Russian forces began a land, sea and air attack on Ukraine, in the largest attack by a country against another in Europe since World War II.
The Ukraine Ambassador to Turkey, Vasil Bodenar, appeared on local television last week and appealed to the government in Ankara to close its main harassment in front of Russian warships under the 1936 Montreu Agreement.Turkey said it could not do that unless it officially recognized the conflict as a war, and this is what it did on Sunday.
Here is how this happened and what it means for the war:
What is the Montrero agreement?
The Convention gives Turkey a certain control over the passage of warships from the Dardanelle and Bosphorus, which connects the Aegean, Samra and the Black Sea.
At the time of peace, warships can cross the strait through a pre -diplomatic notification with certain restrictions on the weight of the ships and the weapons it carries, and depending on whether the ship belongs to one of the countries of the Black Sea or not.In times of war, Turkey can prevent the passage of warships to the warring parties from crossing.
According to the agreement, if Turkey is a party to the war or considers itself threatened with imminent danger, it can close the strait in front of the passage of warships.
How does this affect Russia?
Russia and Ukraine are located on the Black Sea, along with Romania, NATO Bulgaria and Georgia. يمكن لتركيا أن تحد من عبور السفن الحربية الروسية من البحر الأبيض المتوسط إلى البحر الأسود عبر مضايقها بموجب اتفاقية مونترو، لكن الاتفاقية تتضمن بندا يسمح للسفن الحربية للدول المتحاربة العبور إذا كانت عائدة إلى قاعدتها الأصلية.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşo أو lu said:.We will implement all the provisions of the Montrero Agreement transparently, "adding that the exception should not be misused.
Mustafa Aydin, head of the Turkish International Relations Council Research Center, said this step will be symbolic only.He added: "Russia has enough fire in the Black Sea that makes it logical to intervene NATO countries." He continued: "Russia has full sovereignty over water.".
While Sirhat Jovink, a professor of international relations at the University of "Qadir Haas" in Istanbul, said that if the war has long, Moscow may feel the heat, because Russia has already completed its maritime mobilization in the Black Sea by transporting units from the Baltic Sea before the start of hostilities.
Earlier in February, 6 warships and a Russian submarine crossed the Dardanelle and Bosphorus Strait to the Black Sea to conduct what Moscow described as naval training near Ukrainian waters.
"Russia most likely has sufficient resources to maintain their marine power in the Black Sea for about two to 3 months," said Jovinak.."But if the conflict continues, it will be a different story.".
Why did Turkey declare a war?
Jovink said that he did not expect Turkey to make its decision quickly, but Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski prompted Turkey to this situation by thanking it early for its support, through his Twitter account.
Turkey confirmed that it had respected the agreement historically, and said it would continue to do so.
Jovinak said it is in the interest of Ankara to do so because the agreement supports Turkey in times of war.Any exception to satisfying Russia can endanger the agreement of the agreement in the long run.
He added that "the United States is very interested in the idea of freedom of navigation that is not restricted through Turkish straits, as is the case with other waterways such as the Suez Canal and Panama.".He continued by saying that the deviation from the agreement would give the United States "a legitimate reason to question Turkey as a Montrero guardian.".
How can this affect Turkey's external relations?
Turkey has naval borders with both Ukraine and Russia on the Black Sea, and both countries are considered friends.Ankara depends on Russia in tourism and natural gas, but it also has close economic and defense relations with Ukraine.Despite Russian objections, drones sold to Ukraine.
The Soviet Union, the predecessor of the Russian state, was one of the indigenous signers of the Montrero Agreement.
"Russia knows the complications of politics and law and were ready for such a possibility," said Jofnak..He added that Moscow, however, may not expect Ankara to act on the agreement soon.
He added: "Turkey can promote this step as mere respect for a commitment under international law." But this step may be an indication of the direction that Turkey may turn to if the conflict continues.He continued: "Turkey decided to join more to its traditional allies in NATO and the European Union, and to move away from Russia.".