Turkey: Turkey announced that it has submitted a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end hostilities between them in the Black Sea and allow commercial vessels to transport grain.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated in an interview with a local channel that Ankara had sent a proposal to both Kyiv and Moscow regarding ending the fighting in the Black Sea, emphasizing that the priority is to move grain out of the region.

Fidan added that the two countries’ responses to the Turkish proposal revealed demands and positions that are difficult to reconcile, noting that reaching a permanent solution to the conflict appears difficult at this stage. He pointed out that Ankara has made significant efforts since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war to keep the Black Sea out of the conflict.

He explained that the escalation of the war is seriously affecting the Black Sea basin, but that Turkey had, until recently, succeeded in keeping the area out of the conflict through its strict application of the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits and the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The Montreux Convention, signed in 1936, permits the passage of warships belonging to non-Black Sea littoral states through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits, provided Turkey is notified 15 days in advance and the vessels do not remain in the Black Sea for more than 21 days. Fidan emphasized that the increasing attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea over recent months are causing severe damage to the safety of life, property, navigation, and the environment in the region.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, approximately 25 vessels owned by Turkish companies have been subjected to attacks, according to the Turkish Chamber of Shipping.