Retired admirals rise against Erdogan’s crazy project

Kanal Istanbul, an artificial canal project that aims to connect the Black Sea north of Istanbul to the Marmara Sea to the south, has been President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "crazy project."

The controversial project has triggered a debate on the revision of the 1936 Montreux Convention, with 126 retired Turkish admirals releasing a statement on April 1 to warn the government.

The former admirals praised the convention, as they urged the government to refrain from opening it to debate.

The statement released by the retired admirals on preserving an international convention has infuriated Turkish government officials, who said that the former soldiers' move amounted to suggesting a coup.

Following major backlash from the government, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the signatories of the statement.

"The fact that withdrawing from the Montreux Convention was opened to debate as part of talks on Kanal Istanbul and the authority to exit from international treaties was met with concern," the admirals said.

“Kanal Istanbul will open the Montreux Convention to discussion, and will lead to Turkey’s loss of absolute sovereignty over the Sea of ​​Marmara,” the statement read.

Backing the statement with their strategic experience, former ambassadors believed that the 45-kilometer long canal could cause friction between Turkey and Russia, if the provisions of the Montreux Convention were not revised. 

The probability of conflict between the two nations rose after Turkish president assigned himself the power to withdraw from any international convention without parliamentary approval in 2018. 

Political analysts believed that withdrawal from the said convention could evoke serious rage and retaliation from the side of Kremlin.

The statement came after Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop's remarks on Erdogan having the authority to withdraw from the Montreux Convention.

The Turkish president withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, an international accord designed to protect women - with a midnight decree on March 20.