THE CURRENT REGIME OF THE TURKISH STRAITS

Abstract

To identify the Straits as the Turkish Straits has historical, political and legal justification, such as: respect for past and present general practice; due regard to Turkey's sovereign rights over this particular area and to its jurisdiction according to established principles of international law; and to indicate and emphasise the location of the Straits, like the other straits of the world. The Turkish Straits comprises "the Strait of the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus"1 and named by the general term 'Straits'.2 The literature of international law generally uses the expression the 'Turkish Straits', as in Ferenc A. Vali,3 Anthony R. Deluca,4 H.N. Howard,5 H.G. Knight,6 Christos L. Rozakis and Petros N. Stagos,7 etc.

References

1. Lausanne Peace Treaty, art. 23. For the text of the Treaty, refer to 28 L.N.T.S., 11, reprinted in 18 AJIL 4 (Supp. 1924); Lausanne Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits, art.1. For the text of the Convention refer to 28 L.N.T.S., 115; Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, preamble. For the authentic text (French) and the translation (English) of the Convention made by His Britannic Majesty's Office, refer to 173 L.N.T.S., 213.
2. Lausanne Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (preamble and art. 1), and Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits (preamble). Ferenc A. Vali, The Turkish Straits and NATO, Hoover Institution Press, 1972.
3. Anthony R. Deluca, Great Power Rivalry at the Turkish Straits: the Montreux Conference and the Convention of 1936, Columbia University Press, 1981.
4. H.N. Howard, 'Some Recent Developments in the Problem of the Turkish Straits', Department of State Bulletin, Vol. XVI, No. 395, pp. 143-152. H.G. Knight, 'The Kiev and the Turkish Straits', AJIL, Vol. 71, 1977.
5. Christos L. Rozakis, Petros N. Stagos, The Turkish Straits, Martinus Nijhoff, 1987.
6. 'Third United Nations Conference on the Standardisation of Geographical Names', Athens, 17 August-7 September 1977, Vol. I, United Nations, New York, 1979, p. 35.
7. IMO Doc.SN/Circ. 166, 1 June 1994; IMO Doc. Res. A/857; IMO Doc. MSC 71/WP. 5, 25 May ; IMO Doc. MSC 71/WP. 14/Add.2, 27 May 1999.
8. T.C. Resmi Gazete (Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey), No. 23515 Supp. 6 November

9. This regulation came into force on the same day. Later, article 50 of this Regulation was been repealed and this amendment was promulgated in Official Gazette, No. 23686, 5 May 1999.
10. Yüksel İnan, Türk Boğazlarının Siyasal ve Hukuksal Rejimi (The Political and Legal Regime of the Turkish Straits), 2nd ed., Turhan Kitapevi, Ankara, 1995, pp. 2-3. Ibid., pp. 4-5. Ibid., pp. 7-9. Ibid., pp. 9-19.
11. 'Actes de la Conférence de Montreux Concernant la Régime des Détroits (22 juin-20 juillet )', Comple Rendu des Séances Plénières et Procès-Verbal des Débats du Comité Technique, October 1936, Imprimé par H. Vaillant-Caemanne S.A., Liège, 1936.