Istanbul. A city of wonder and merging cultures. It's the number one largest city in Europe and boasts many architectural wonders. But could Turkey be trying to transform it into an island?
In 1923, after the first world war and the Turkish war of independence, the new Turkish republic signed the treaty of Lausanne which demilitarized the Turkish straits in the Bosphorus area and opened them up to unrestricted civilian maritime traffic. By the 1930s, however, Turkey sought to alter the terms of Lausanne.
Turkey was then allowed to militarize the straits in order to protect itself from the rising fascist movement in Italy. However, the new agreement also blocked Turkey from charging any fees for passage to its straits. This was a great deal at the time for Turkey but this soon grew to become a problem.
Over the decades since World War II ended, numerous controversies started being raised over access to the straits. For instance, the Soviets demanded joint control with Turkey over the Bosphorus area. Turkey rejected these demands and this prompted the Soviets to conceive another way to get control.
What was this way and how has it led to Turkey wanting to turn its biggest city into an island? Watch the video to find out more.
LOUKIA PAPADOPOULOS
There is a mistake in the video. "The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits" is effective both for Bosphorus AND Dardanelles. So US Navy aircraft carriers still can not enter to Black Sea because they still have to pass through Dardanelles, which they cannot because of the 15.000 tonnage limitation. For such an act either Turkey has to dig another canal around Dardanelles, or accept UNCLOS, or try to revise the convention.
