Türkiye rejects Greek objection to ‘Turkish Straits’ term

Türkiye has dismissed Greece’s formal objection to the use of the term “Turkish Straits” during a recent UN Security Council session, describing the Greek position as politically driven and unhelpful for regional stability. In a May 8 letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council President Fu Cong, Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz wrote that Greece’s intervention during the April 29 meeting “diverted attention from substantive issues” and appeared to serve domestic considerations.

Geographical accuracy and international usage

Yildiz stated that Türkiye “firmly and totally rejects Greece’s unfounded assertions,” adding that attempts to politicise a widely used geographical term do not contribute to constructive dialogue or the proper understanding of the Montreux Convention. He explained that “Turkish Straits” is a well-established geographical expression collectively referring to the Istanbul Strait and Çanakkale Strait, both under Turkish sovereignty. The term, he noted, has been “conventionally and consistently used in numerous international documents, including resolutions and documents of the IMO and NATO.”

Montreux Convention and historical context

The 1936 Montreux Convention regulates passage through the straits but was not intended to standardise geographical names. Yildzi suggested Greece’s effort to impose alternative terminology could only be explained by “historical aspirations,” stressing that such attempts would not change the waterways’ legal or political status. Greece had argued that the convention uses “the Straits” — namely the Dardanelles, Sea of Marmara, and Bosphorus — and has sought to block use of “Turkish Straits” at both the UN and NATO. For Türkiye, which has fought a decades-long campaign for international recognition of its sovereign rights over the straits, the diplomatic row underscores Ankara’s determination to assert its geographical and legal terminology on the global stage.