Turkey rejects Russia's request for navy ships to pass Bosporus

ISTANBUL -- Turkey has denied a request from Russia to sail several naval vessels through the Turkish Straits, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told local media on Tuesday.

Invoking the 1936 Montreux Convention, which gives Turkey the authority to restrict passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, Ankara politely told Moscow that it would not be allowed, Cavusoglu said.