The projected Istanbul Canal will not be subject to the Montreux Straits Convention, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan noted.

According to him, the Istanbul channel has no connection with the Montreux Convention, TASS reported.

The Istanbul Canal project was first announced by Erdogan in 2011 and is intended to become a new navigable artery in the western part of Istanbul, connecting the Black and Marmara Seas.

In December 2019, the Turkish President announced that maritime traffic through the canal would not be subject to the Montreux Convention.