Turkey has rejected a request by Russian warships to enter the Black Sea via the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on 1 March.

During an interview with Turkish television channel Habertürk TV , Çavuşoğlu disclosed that Russia had wanted to return four warships to the Black Sea via the straits between 27 and 28 February.

The Russian request was made before Turkey's recognition on 27 February that Russia's assault on Ukraine was an act of war: a key legal requirement enabling Ankara to implement 1936 Montreux Convention in the event of a war.

“[Still], Ankara did not allow three of the ships to enter the Black Sea because they were not registered to a Russian base there,” Çavuşoğlu said. The fourth ship could have passed as it was registered to a base in the Black Sea, he noted, but it is understood that it did not pass the straits either.

“Russia did not send the warships upon Turkey's friendly request,” he said.

The convention gives Turkey the authority to ban warships from the straits during times of war. However, Turkey cannot block all Russian warships accessing the Black Sea due to a clause in the convention exempting those returning to their registered base. Çavuşoğlu cautioned that there should not be any abuse of this exemption. “Ships that declare returning to their bases and passing through the straits should not be involved in the war,” he said on 27 February.

Reuters reported earlier this week that at least four Russian ships – two destroyers, a frigate, and an intelligence vessel – were waiting on Turkey's decision to cross from the Mediterranean. Two of them – a frigate and a destroyer – had asked to make the journey this week.

Çavuşoğlu said Ankara had sent official notifications about its position on the matter to the countries involved in the war and clarified issues with regards to the implementation of the Montreux Convention.

“Nobody should be offended by this [Turkish rejection of Russian warship entry into Black Sea] because the Montreux Convention is valid today, yesterday, and tomorrow, so we will implement it,” he said.

Turkey does not have to take sides in war, he said, adding, “On the contrary, we are a country that can establish an equal dialogue with both sides to end it. We cannot afford to take sides.”

Turkey has no intention of joining international sanctions against Russia over its war with Ukraine, Çavuşoğlu reiterated.