Evening star., 1953-06-13
Russia Turns to New Front

Russia Turns to New Front
Whatever the motives, Soviet Russia's
reported package proposal to Turkey on terri
torial claims and control of the Dardanelles-
Bosporus Straits is a rather spectacular
diplomatic move by Moscow.
In brief, the Soviet government is reported
to have informed Ankara that it no longer feels
it has valid claim on three Eastern Turkish
provinces of KarS, Ardahan and Artvin; that
itno longer is demanding military-base rights
along the straits, and that 1t would like to
undertake formal conversations on a revision
OF the Montreux Convention pertaining to con-
trolls over the straits. At the same time, and
linked closely to this new diplomatic maneuver
in the Balkan area, Moscow is reported to have
suggested that full diplomatic relations be
resumed between Russia, Greece and Yugoslavia
The issues between Russia and Turkey are
all Of long standing, dating back actually to
the Czarist period of World War I. The three
provinces in dispute are close to one of the
most sensitive areas of Russia either ImperialiSt
or Communist, the oil-bearing region of the
Caucasus. Just as Russia for years has sought
to gain control over the Iranian province of
Azerbaijan, in that same area, so 1t has made
intermittent demands upon Turkey for cession
of the three Turkish states. In all cases its
Cla1uS nave De6u 1OunQeQ upon neDulOuS
grounds of racial relationships.
Russia's interest in the Turkish straits is
an understandable one-they control completely
the access to or from the Black sea-but its
demands have no legal or geographical support.
Turkish territory bounds both sides of the
straits. BY secret treaty with Great Britain
and France, in 1915, Russia was pledged con-
troll of the straits as a reward for its contribu-
ti0n n he 0f
Communist government in 1917, the secret
treaty was revealed and Russian claims either
to Constantinople-now Istanbul-or to control
of the straits was relinquished by the Bolsheviks
After a period of international control of
the waterway, the Treaty of Montreux was
negotiated in 1896 with Turkey regaining the
right to militarize the straits and to have
specified rights of control over shipping, either
commercial or military and in peacetime or
wartime. Signatories to the Montreux Conven-
tion included the Soviet Union, Turkey, Great
Britain, France, Greece, Japan Rumania and
YugoSlavia. At intervals since World War II,
the Moscow government has asked for a re-
negotiation of the convention to give Russia
defense" rights over the waterways, but Turkey
has resisted all such demands In 1946, the
United States Government officially backed the
Turkish position.
AS far as the gesture toward Greece and
Yugoslavia is concerned the Soviet proposal
implies desire for a more cordial diplomatic
relationship. Seemingly, the motivation for
such step can be found in an intent to offset
the current progress toward a Greek -YugoSlav
Turkish military alliance. The three countries
recently signed a treaty Of friendship, and
negotiations have since been carried on toward
an outright military pact. With Greece and
Turkey already members of the NATO, such an
alliance would draw Yugoslavia tighter into the
Western defense structure.
Reactions thus far to the Soviet maneuver-
ing have been guarded. The Ankara govern
ment has never displayed any fear Of its big
neighbor across the Black Sea and has made
clear through the postwar years its disinclina-
ton to make any concessions it felt contrary to
its own national interest. Athens and Belgrade
have been equally resistant or Indifferent to
threats from Moscow. There is no reason to
feel now that the Balkan capitals are of a
different mind, although the peace offensive"
manipulations of the new Russian government
have prompted restudy by the Western ma
tions of some of the cold-war problems. Historic
Russian designs on the Balkans and the apr
proaches to the Mediterranean add up to an
old story for those countries and the significance
Of this latest probing probably is not lost upon
them.