MONTRÖ SÖZLEŞMESİ’NİN ÖRFÎ STATÜSÜ: BÖLGESEL İSTİKRARIN HUKUKİ TEMELİ VE ULUSLARARASI ETKİLERİ

Year 2025, Issue: 49, 387 - 404, 29.10.2025

Yasin Çağlar Kaya

https://doi.org/10.18092/ulikidince.1723767

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Montrö Boğazlar Sözleşmesi’nin uluslararası örf ve âdet hukuku kapsamında normatif bir statü kazanıp kazanmadığını incelemekte ve sözleşmenin bölgesel istikrar ile uluslararası hukuk düzenindeki etkilerini değerlendirmektedir. Çalışma, Uluslararası Adalet Divanı (UAD) içtihatları doğrultusunda örf ve âdet hukukunun iki temel unsuru olan devlet uygulamaları (usus) ve opinio juris’i analiz ederek, sözleşmenin yaklaşık doksan yıllık uygulama sürecini taraf/taraf olmayan devletlerin (NATO, AB, ABD) pratikleri, diplomatik notalar ve akademik görüşler ışığında değerlendirmektedir. Montrö Sözleşmesi’nin, savaş gemilerinin geçiş kuralları, tonaj sınırlamaları ve bildirim yükümlülükleri gibi temel hükümlerinin, yazılı metin olmanın ötesinde örfî nitelik kazandığı tespit edilmiştir. Evrensel örfî hukuk statüsüne ilişkin tartışmalara rağmen, Karadeniz’e kıyıdaş devletler ve bölgesel aktörlerin uzun süreli uyumu, sözleşmenin en azından bölgesel örf ve âdet hukuku düzeyinde bağlayıcılık kazandığını göstermektedir. Montrö rejimi, sözleşmenin feshi durumunda dahi örfî niteliği sayesinde geçerliliğini koruyabilecek bir hukuki yapı sunmaktadır. Bu durum, Türkiye’nin boğazlar üzerindeki egemenlik haklarını güvence altına alırken uluslararası güvenliğinin istikrarını da desteklemektedir.

Keywords

Montrö Boğazlar Sözleşmesi , Örf ve Adet Hukuku , Uluslararası Boğazlar

THE CUSTOMARY STATUS OF THE MONTREUX CONVENTION: A LEGAL BASIS FOR REGIONAL STABILITY AND ITS INTERNATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

This study examines whether the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits has acquired normative status under customary international law, focusing on its role in regional stability and its broader legal implications. The research employs a legal-analytical framework grounded in the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), assessing the two foundational elements of customary international law—state practice (usus) and opinio juris. The analysis draws on nearly ninety years of consistent implementation by both party and non-party states, including NATO, the EU, and the US, as well as treaty interpretations, diplomatic notes, and scholarly discourse. The study demonstrates that the Montreux Convention has evolved beyond a treaty-based regime into a customary norm, particularly at the regional level. Key provisions, such as warship passage restrictions, tonnage limitations, and notification requirements, reflect entrenched and stable state practice accompanied by a belief in their legal obligation. Despite partial doctrinal objections and conflicts with UNCLOS, the Convention’s widespread adherence supports its recognition as a regional customary rule. The Montreux Convention’s customary character ensures its enduring validity, even in the event of termination. Its core principles contribute to regional maritime security and the predictability of international law, reinforcing its dual role as both a treaty and a customary regime.

Keywords

Montreux Convention , Customary International Law , International Straits

References

• Akehurst, M. (1974). Custom as a Source of International Law. British Yearbook of International Law, 47(1), 1–53. https://doi.org/10.1093/bybil/47.1.1
• Aras, F. Ç. (2023). 7. Uluslararası Hukuk Açısından Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı ve Hindistan'ın Yaklaşımı. In A. Özer & F. Taşdemir (Eds.), Stepler, Dinyeper ve Barut: Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı'nın Uluslararası Hukuk Veçhesi (pp. 763–784). Adalet Yayınevi.
• BBC Turkish. (2021, March 29). Mustafa Şentop: The President Can Annul Montreux if He Wishes. https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-56573368, [Accessed on 09.05.2025].
• Bozkaya, M. (2021, April 15). Legal Observations on Recent Debates about the Montreux Convention Regarding the Straits and Kanal Istanbul. Institude. https://www.institude.org/opinion/montro-bogazlar-sozlesmesi-ve-kanal-istanbul-hakkindaki-guncel-tartismalara-iliskin-hukuki-gozlemler, [Accessed on 19.04.2025].
• Byers, M. (1999). Conclusions. In Custom, Power and the Power of Rules: International Relations and Customary International Law. Cambridge University Press.
• Daly, J. C. K. (2008, August 21). Analysis: Naval aspects of the South Ossetia confrontation. United Press International. https://www.upi.com/Energy-News/2008/08/21/Analysis-Naval-aspects-of-the-South-Ossetia-confrontation/52431219349503/
• D'Amato, A. (1988). Custom and Treaty: A Response to Professor Weisburd. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 21(3), 459–474. https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl/vol21/iss 3/2
• D'Amato, A. A. (1969). The Concept of Special Custom in International Law. The American Journal of International Law, 63(2), 211–223.
• Demir, İ. (2018). The Denunciation of Montreux Straits Convention. Türkiye Barolar Birliği Dergisi, 136(1), 327–358. https://tbbdergisi.barobirlik.org.tr/m2018-136-1778
• Doğru, S. (2013). Türk Boğazları’nın Hukukî Statüsü: Sevr ve Lozan’dan Montrö’ye Geçiş. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi Dergisi, 15(2), 123-169.
• Dönmez, F. (2022). Ukrayna krizi bağlamında Montrö Boğazlar Sözleşmesi. Avrasya Dünyası, (10), 3–10. Hacettepe Üniversitesi, Kamu Hukuku Bölümü. Erişim adresi: https://avim.org.tr/pu blic/images/uploads/files/fatih%20do%CC%88nmez.pdf
• Duvar English. (2022, February 24). Ukraine asks Turkey to shut Bosporus to Russian ships. Duvar English (based on Reuters reporting). https://www.duvarenglish.com/ukraine-asks-turkey-to-close-black-sea-waterways-to-russia-news-60451
• Elmacıoğlu, L. (2021, April 5). Can the Montreux Convention Regarding the Straits be Annulled? What Would Happen if it were? IndyTurk. https://www.indyturk.com/node/340541/ haber/montr%C3%B6-bo%C4%9Fazlar-s%C3%B6zle%C5%9Fmesi-feshedilebilir-mi-edilirs e-ne-olur, [Accessed on 005.06.2025].
• European Parliament. (2021, May 19). European Parliament Resolution of 19 May 2021 on the 2019–2020 Commission Reports on Turkey (2019/2176(INI)). Official Journal of the European Union, C 15/81–99. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0243_EN.html
• Goldsmith, J. L., and Posner, E. A. (1999). A Theory of Customary International Law. University of Chicago Law Review, 66(4). https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclrev/vol66/iss4/2
• International Court of Justice (ICJ). (1950). Asylum Case (Colombia v. Peru), Judgment of 20 November 1950 (Case No. 11). I.C.J. Reports, 1950, 266. https://www.icj-cij.org /public/files/case-related/11/011-19501120-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
• International Court of Justice (ICJ). (1969). North Sea Continental Shelf Cases (Federal Republic of Germany/Netherlands; Federal Republic of Germany/Denmark), Judgment of 20 February 1969 (Case Nos. 52 and 53). I.C.J. Reports, 1969, 3. https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files /case-related/52/052-19690220-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
• International Court of Justice. (1960, April 12). Right of Passage over Indian Territory (Portugal v. India). https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/32/032-19600412-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
• International Court of Justice. (1962). Case Concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear (Cambodia v. Thailand), Merits, Judgment of 15 June 1962. I.C.J. Reports, 1962. https://www.icj-cij.or g/sites/default/files/case-related/45/045-19620615-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
• International Court of Justice. (1984). Libya v. Malta (Continental Shelf case), Judgment of 21 March 1984 (Case No. 68). ICJ Reports, 1984. https://www.icj-cij.org/public/files/case-related/68/068-19840321-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
• International Court of Justice. (1986). Frontier Dispute (Burkina Faso v. Mali), Judgment of 22 December 1986. I.C.J. Reports, 1986. https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/69/069-19861222-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
• International Court of Justice. (1986). Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America), Judgment of 27 June 1986. I.C.J. Reports, 1986, 14. https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/70/070-19860627-JUD-01-00-EN.pdf
• Isachenko, D. (2023). Turkey in the Black Sea Region: the Continuing Relevance of The Montreux Convention. SWP Research Paper, RP 12. Deutsches Institut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit. https://www.swp-berlin.org/10.18449/2023RP12/
• İnal, Y. (1995). Türk Boğazlarının Siyasal ve Hukuksal Rejimi. Turhan Kitapevi.
• Karan, H. (2017). Türk Boğazlarının Hukuki Statüsü. In Prof. Dr. Hikmet Sami Türk’e Armağan (pp. 423-440). Turhan Kitabevi.
• Kaya, Y.Ç. (2023). Deniz Yetki Alanlarının Sınırlandırılmasında Adaların Rolü. Yetkin Hukuk Yayınları.
• Knight, J. (1975). American Statecraft and the 1946 Black Sea Straits Controversy. Political Science Quarterly, 90(3), 451–475. https://doi.org/10.2307/2148296
• Kiselyova, M., & Macaskill, A. (2021, June 24). Russia says it chased British destroyer out of Crimea waters with warning shots, bombs. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-forc es-fire-warning-shots-british-destroyer-black-sea-interfax-cites-2021-06-23/
• Kunz, J. L. (1953). The Nature of Customary International Law. The American Journal of International Law, 47(4), 662–669. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2194914
• Lepard, B. D. (2010). Customary International Law: A new Theory with Practical Applications. Cambridge University Press.
• Mendelson, M. H. (1998). The Formation of Customary International Law. In R. St. J. Macdonald and D. M. Johnston (Eds.), The Structure and Process of International Law: Essays in Legal Philosophy, Doctrine and Theory (pp. 367–388). Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
• Meriç, A. B. (2021). Can Turkey Abandon the Montreux Convention Regarding the Straits? Is Kanal Istanbul actually a US Project? Ortak Akıl. https://ortakakil.org.tr/dis-iliskiler/turkiye-montro-bogazlar-sozlesmesinden-vazgecebilir-mi-kanal-istanbul-aslinda-bir-abd-projesi-midir-a-bulent-meric, [Accessed on 21.05.2025].
• Montreux Convention Regarding the Straits. (1936). Directorate General of Coastal Safety. https://www.kiyiemniyeti.gov.tr/userfiles/file/mevzuat/Montreux%20Bo%C4%9Fazlar%20S%C3%B6zle%C5%9Fmesi.pdf
• NATO Press Release. (2016). Secretary General's Remarks at the Atlantic Council. https://www.n ato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_127972.htm [Accessed on 01.06.2025].
• Sarıbeyoğlu-Sakalar, M., and Cecanpınar, H. (2021). 85th Anniversary of the Montreux Convention: Its Significance for Turkey and the Black Sea Littoral States. Marmara Avrupa Araştırmaları Dergisi, 29(1), 57–86.
• Scott, G. L., and Carr, C. L. (1996). Multilateral Treaties and the Formation of Customary International Law. Denver Journal of International Law and Policy, 25(1), 71–94.
• Segell, G. (2022, October 18). Revisiting the Montreux Convention of 1936 in light of the Current Conflict between Russia and Ukraine. TRENDS Research & Advisory. https://trendsrese arch.org/insight/revisiting-the-montreux-convention-of-1936-in-light-of-the-current-conflict-between-russia-and-ukraine/
• Shaw, D. M. (2017). International Law (8th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Şener, B. (2014). Türk Boğazları’nın Geçiş Rejiminin Tarihi Gelişimi ve Hukuki Statüsü. Tarih Okulu Dergisi, 17(1), 467–493.
• Tams, C. J. (2005). Enforcing Obligations Erga Omnes in International Law. Cambridge University Press.
• Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal. (1977). United Nations Treaty Series, Vol. 1161. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volum e%201161/volume-1161-I-18342-English.pdf
• Tütüncü, A.N. (2017). Montrö Sözleşmesi ve Kanal İstanbul. Public and Private International Law Bulletin, 37(1), 113-123.
• U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. (1994). Limits in the Seas, No. 112. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10 /LIS-32.pdf, [Accessed on 07.06.2025].
• United Nations Treaty Collection. (n.d.). Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits (1936). United Nations. https://treaties.un.org/pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280166981
• United Nations. (1969). Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 1155. https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%201155/volume-1155-i-18232-english.pdf
• United Nations. (1982). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. https://w ww.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf
• Weisburd, A. M. (2021). Customary International Law: The Problem of Treaties. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 21(1), 1–47. https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl/vol21/iss 1/1
• Yeşiltaş, M. (2021). What was Intended by the Montreux Debate? SETA. https:// www.setav.org/video/montro-tartismasi-ile-ne-amaclandi,[Accessed on 27.05.2025].