Interfax: U.S. naval ships overstayed Montreux Convention limits in Black Sea – Russian foreign minister

MOSCOW. April 3 (Interfax) – Russia will keep a close eye on how the United States and Turkey follow the principles of the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, which set the rules for warships’ presence in the Black Sea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“We have the Montreux Convention, which introduces absolutely clear-cut criteria that restrict the presence of naval vessels of foreign states that are not located in the Black Sea region in terms of tonnage and periods of presence. We have paid attention to the fact that recently American naval ships have twice prolonged their presence there beyond the set timeframe,” he said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

“Furthermore, they have not always managed to obey the rules that exist as part of the Montreux Convention. We have also drawn the attention of the American side and Turkey, where these straits are located, to this fact. Our position is that all of the principles of the Convention should be rigorously obeyed. We will monitor this,” he said.