Russian Information Agency Novosti
April 3, 2014
Deployment Extension of US Warships in Black Sea Exceeds International Terms – Lavrov
MOSCOW: Moscow has taken note that the extension of US warships deployed in the Black Sea has exceeded the set terms laid out in the international convention, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Kazakhstan’s foreign minister on Thursday in Moscow.
“There exists the Montreux Convention, which gives extremely clear criteria limiting the deployment of warships not belonging to the Black Sea governments in regard to tonnage and length of stay,” Lavrov said.
“We have noticed that US warships have extended their deployment beyond the set terms a couple of times lately, and at times they did not always comply with the regulations that are set within the Montreux Convention.”
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Interfax
April 3, 2014
U.S. naval ships overstayed Montreux Convention limits in Black Sea – Russian foreign minister
MOSCOW: Russia will keep a close eye on how the United States and Turkey follow the principles of the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, which set the rules for warships’ presence in the Black Sea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
“We have the Montreux Convention, which introduces absolutely clear-cut criteria that restrict the presence of naval vessels of foreign states that are not located in the Black Sea region in terms of tonnage and periods of presence. We have paid attention to the fact that recently American naval ships have twice prolonged their presence there beyond the set timeframe,” he said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
“Furthermore, they have not always managed to obey the rules that exist as part of the Montreux Convention. We have also drawn the attention of the American side and Turkey, where these straits are located, to this fact. Our position is that all of the principles of the Convention should be rigorously obeyed. We will monitor this,” he said.
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