Tension between Russia and Turkey is growing, but the Turks refuse to fall for President Vladimir Putin’s mind games.
Turkey accused Russia of military provocation after a soldier was seen with a rocket launcher on his shoulder as a ship cruised through Istanbul Sunday morning. But the Turks won’t stand for the Kremlin’s provocations and are literally pulling Russian ships over to make sure the safety codes are up to date.
Turkey called a Sunday meeting with the Russian Ambassador to inform Russia that counterattacks to similar provocations in the future will come from “the most unexpected places.”
While Turkey can’t technically stop ships from entering the Bosphorus strait — which runs through Turkey and serves as the gateway between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sean — due to the Montreux Convention, it is allowed to detain ships for violation international safety codes.
Data from the The Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (BSMOU) shows that Turkey detained four cargo vessels in December for violating regulations on lifejackets, life boats and fire safety, among other things.
Three of the four ships have been released after making adjustments to their codes, and one remains in detention.
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