SECURITY OF THE TURKISH STRAITS IN THE BLACK SEA: IMPACT OF THE NATO/EU ENLARGEMENTS ON THE MONTREUX CONVENTION

The Turkish Straits (composed of İstanbul and Çanakkale Straits) are strategic geographic regions between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Their legal status and the sovereignty-navigation regimes are determined by a multilateral treaty, namely the Montreux Straits Convention of 1936. Today, International Relations (IR) environment has changed greatly when compared with the period of the signing of the Convention. The Cold War is now over and the balance between the East and the West has been disrupted. Furthermore, there are some conflicts in the Black Sea basin, such as the war between Russia/Ukraine and Russia/Georgia. The complex nature of the Black Sea requires a securitization framework from both Russia and the EU/NATO perspectives. In this context, the recent developments in international politics about the region may also have an impact on the Montreux regime in the Turkish Straits in future. Considering these current developments, this paper analyzes the impact of the NATO and EU enlargements on the Montreux regime and evaluates future scenarios about the security of the Turkish Straits. In doing so, it will use the securitization theory as an explanatory approach for the developments in the region. Thus, the Black Sea and the Turkish Straits contains the securitization dynamics within itself.