The United States will send two warships through the Bosporus to the Black Sea, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Friday, as tensions simmer between Russia and Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported.
The ships will remain in the region until May 4, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Turkish media said the warships will enter the Black Sea next week.
“A notice was sent to us 15 days ago via diplomatic channels that two U.S. warships would pass to the Black Sea in line with the Montreux Convention. The ships will remain in the Black Sea until May 4,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said.
The 1936 Montreux accord gives Turkey control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, limits access of naval warships and governs foreign cargo ships.