“Ukraine made an official request. The provisions of the Montreux Treaty are very clear and precise. Until today, Turkey has implemented the Montreux Convention every time without hesitation. In other words, in a war where Turkey is not a warring party, there are measures that can be taken regarding warring parties. Turkey can stop the passage of warships through the Straits. But there is also something else in the Montreux Convention. If there is a demand for the ships of the warring countries to return to their bases, then it has to be allowed,” said Çavuşoğlu, who is in the capital of Kazakhstan on a working visit.

On Thursday, Ukraine's ambassador in Ankara, Vasyl Bodnar, requested Turkiye to close the Canakkale (Dardanelles) and Istanbul (Bosphorus) Straits to Russian forces.

“We have made an official request to Ankara to close their airspace and straits to Russia,” Vasyl Bodnar said at a news conference.

“We want sanctions to be imposed on Russia. Particularly, we demand the seizure of the shares of the Russian business world here,” he added. (ILKHA)