Caspian Report - Issue: 07 - Spring 2014

FatIh Ozbay
118
The Black Sea is a significant factor
for the development of relations between
Turkey and Russia after the
Cold War. Turkey and Russia are no
doubt the most important powers of
the Black Sea region. Success of regional
cooperation policies depends
on two major countries in the Black
Sea region; Turkey and Russia. Both
of these countries regard the Black
Sea as a region of vital importance,
and the relations based on mutual
respect and trust between these
countries are very important. After
the collapse of the Soviet Union, USA
claimed that there is a security gap
in the Black Sea basin, and American
military should exist in this region
in order to eliminate this security
gap as in other regions of the world.
When USA brought forward this
discussion, both Turkey and Russia
felt a need to take some steps in the
Black Sea. One of the most strongly
agreed item in the relations between
Turkey and Russia is the need to protect
the Black Sea from turning into a
new area of struggle for global powers.
Firstly, this approach brought
Russia and Turkey together in the
context of defending the Black Sea’s
current status and the Montreux
Convention. Both countries frequently
express that the Montreux
Convention should not be changed,
the issues related to the Black Sea
should be resolved by coastal states
in cooperation, and foreign powers
should not be involved.
With the changing international
system after the Cold War, we see
that two more major powers want
to enter the Black Sea basin. One of
them is the European Union which is
now a coastal state to the Black Sea
with the enlargement, and the other
one is the USA which wants to be a
permanent power in Black Sea in
the perspective of its global policies.
Black Sea is one of the limited open
seas that USA cannot sail freely because
of the 1936 Montreux Convention.
The Convention limited number
One of the most strongly agreed item in the
relations between Turkey and Russia is the need
to protect the Black Sea from turning into a new
area of struggle for global powers.
of non-regional countries’ warships
allowed in the Black Sea with a total
of 45.000 tonnages and for 21 days.
But USA still wants to exist in the
Black Sea despite it regards the Black
Sea as international water and complies
with the Montreux Convention.
USA’s geopolitical plans toward the
Black Sea disturb Russia to a great
extent. Against the restrictions of
Montreux, USA has developed a
strategy to constantly keep a striking
naval force in the Black Sea to
balance Russia’s Black Sea fleet by
sticking to the 21-day rule. USA’s desire
to be a permanent power in the
Black Sea by asserting that there is a
power gap in terms of security and
military power is needed to fill this
gap within the frame of NATO, have
been a concern for Russia from the
very beginning, which already believes
that it is being surrounded by
the USA. The possibilities such as
supporting anti-Russian movements
in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldavia
together with US ships, encouraging
the opposition, further integrating
the countries in the region which is
traditionally regarded as its sphere