The Americans are already demanding the cancellation of the Montreux Convention
The 1936 Montreux Convention, which restricts the presence of warships arriving from other regions in the Black Sea, should be revised in the near future so that the US Navy can have a permanent presence in the waters and put pressure on Russia.
Jamestown Foundation President Glen Howard stated this during a speech at the Lviv Security Forum, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The American political scientist recalled that, speaking at the same forum that year, he had already warned about the possibility of destabilization in the Sea of Azov.
“The Ukrainian government did not even perceive Russia’s actions as a threat. It took one year to realize this, and today the government’s position is that Ukraine needs a serious representation of the navy in this region,” he noted.
“Recently, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that the Russian Federation must recognize Ukrainian rights in the Sea of Azov.
Every country has a strategy. The strategy of some countries is to do nothing. Until recently, Ukraine took exactly this position regarding the Azov and Black Seas,” the American emphasized.
“The first operational mission of the Ukrainian fleet in the Sea of Azov, which took place in September 2018, showed development. A new generation of the Ukrainian fleet was born. A good example is Alexander Regula, who was a student at the Naval Academy in Sevastopol and witnessed the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014. Now he is 23 years old and he is the captain of an artillery boat in the Azov Sea,” Howard said.
“Freedom of navigation is crucial in the Black Sea region - the United States must demonstrate its presence in this region. However, the 1936 Montreux Convention needs to be revised. This convention prohibits countries that are not from the Black Sea region from remaining in the waters of this sea for more than 21 days, so the capabilities of the United States in this region are limited,” the American said.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.