104 formal Admirals of the Turkish Navy are being condemned for issuing a so-called declaration urging Turkey not to abandon the 1923 Montreux Convention which deals with traffic in the Bosporus Straits.
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| [Bosporus Strait, Istanbul © Ahval] |
It would be better to understand if we start with a history lesson. The straits I mentioned above are the Bosporus, Sea Of Marmara and the Dardanelles.
Turkey controlled both straits during the Ottoman Empire. There was a time when Russia controlled the northern banks. So the Ottamans would grant free passage to their fleet of merchant vessels to pass through.
But in 1833, Russia defeated Turkey and made a move to protect its southern borders. It demanded Turkey not grant passage to non Black Sea powers. This agreement was annulled when Europe signed up the London Straits Convention on July 13, 1841 denying non-Turkish warships access to the Black Sea during no war time.
The shaky deal lasted until after the 1st World War when it was replaced by the Lousanne Treaty and the newly formed Turkish Republic and Russia pushed for reform and eventually signed up to the Montreux Convention.
Now it allowed Turkey to close the straits to warships when it was at war and to permit merchant ships free passage. The agreement has stood the test of time until now.
In early April more than 100 former navy admirals signed a so-called declaration that the proposed Istanbul Canal could harm Turkish security. The reason according to them is that it could invalidate the 85-year-old international treaty designed to prevent military build up in the Black Sea. The state's was interpreted as a direct challenge from the military to the civilian government.
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| [Recep Tayyip Erdogan ] |
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar defends," The statement does nothing hut harm our democracy and negatively affect the morale and motivation of the Turkish Armed Forces personnel and gratify our enemies. " Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin warns," A group of retired soldiers are putting themselves into a laughable and miserable position with their statement that echoes military coup times."
The military which has long seen itself as the guarantor of Turkey’s secular constitution has staged three coups in Turkey’s recent past. And with the 2016's failed coup still fresh in people’s minds the criticism was enough to spark an investigation.
In 1960, the Commander of land forces General Cemal Gursel, demanded political reforms and he resigned when they weren’t met. In May that year, the army began an almost bloodless coup. The leaders established a 38- member National Unity Committee with Cemal Gursel as chairman. The democrat leaders were imprisoned and later hanged.
In 1981, the third coup took place. Politicians were arrested and parliament, political parties and trade unions were dissolved. And this brings us to the failed coup of 2016. 254 people were shot dead by army whom were trying to stop the coup and save their nation. The coup makers were attempting to snatch power from democratically elected politicians.
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| [Bridge Bosporus during 2016's failed coup, Istanbul. ©AP] |
Let's get back to Canal Istanbul. Plans to create a second waterway were drawn up 2011 and approved last month. It's aim is to ease the heavy traffic and reduce accidents on the current Bosphorus Strait.
Turkey insists that the 1936 Montreux Convention will not apply to the new multi billiom dollar Canal Istanbul. But the government argues it is a long term viable source of alternate revenue of Turkey’s economy.
So, when the government said the admiral's letter echoed of coup times, this is the history they were drawing from. A time when the army was the guardian of secular state. But times have changed , the President is now Commander in Chief of the Turkish Military and the army derives its power from the President's office. Not the other way around.
Disclaimer : This article first appeared on TRT World, a Turkish satellite TV Channel as a documentary.