Frachtschëff Transportschëff

The creation of the Istanbul Canal

The plans for the creation of a new shipping canal linking the Mediterranean and the Black Sea have attracted strong national and international criticism. According to a recent open letter signed by 104 former Turkish admirals, the construction of this canal would violate the Montreux Convention. In this context, our MP Gusty Graas put a number of questions to the responsible ministers. Among other matters, he wanted to know whether this construction actually violates the Montreux Convention provisions and what the international consequences would be.

« La Turquie envisage de créer un nouveau chenal navigable reliant la Méditerranée et la Mer Noire, à l’instar d’un bypass du Bosphore. Ce projet, d’ailleurs déjà présenté en 2011 par l’ancien Premier Ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suscite de vives critiques nationales et internationales. Selon 104 anciens amiraux turques, signataires d’une lettre ouverte, la réalisation de ce chenal violerait la Convention de Montreux signée en 1936 et menacerait ainsi l’exercice de la libre circulation dans les détroits des Dardanelles et du Bosphore, ainsi que dans la Mer Noire.

A ce sujet j’aimerais poser les questions suivantes à Messieurs les Ministres :

  • Est-ce que la construction de ce chenal serait contraire aux dispositions de la Convention de Montreux ?
  • Est-ce que la réalisation de ce projet pourrait permettre à la Turquie d’exercer le contrôle sur les transports maritimes en matière d’énergie et militaires entre la Mer Noire et la Méditerranée?
  • Est-ce que ce projet ne pourrait pas provoquer de nouvelles tensions avec la Bulgarie et la Roumanie, voir même avec l’Ukraine et la Russie ?
  • Est-ce que ce projet, réanimé au cours d’une visite de la Présidente de la Commission Européenne et du Président du Conseil européen, ne pourrait pas entraver davantage les relations, d’ailleurs déjà très tendues, avec la Turquie ?
  • Face à ce problème, les États-Unis d’Amérique sont en train de développer une stratégie individuelle. Un accord de défense avec la Grèce leur confère un statut prioritaire dans l’utilisation du port grec Alexandroupoli,  porte d’entrée vers les Balkans et la mer Noire à valeur hautement stratégique pour la marine américaine. Quelle pourrait être une réaction de l’Union européenne ?»

Would you like this parliamentary question to be translated into English?

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
WhatsApp

More parliamentary questions

What is the quality of the food in our hospitals?

A healthy and balanced diet has been proven to contribute to a better healing process and reduce the risk of complications. In this context, DP MPs Corinne Cahen and Carole Hartmann asked the health minister, among other things, how good the quality of the food is in our hospitals, whether regional products are prioritised and whether care is taken to ensure that vulnerable patients also eat enough.

read more...

More legal certainty before the labour court?

If a staff representative has been suspended due to serious misconduct, an employer can request that the employment relationship be terminated in court, e.g. via a counterclaim. However, DP MPs Corinne Cahen and Carole Hartmann were informed that the President of the Labour Court repeatedly rejects these applications. This leads to problems in the enforcement of labour law and to legal and financial difficulties for the employer. The DP MPs therefore wanted to know from the Minister of Labour how he interprets the relevant paragraph in the Labour Code, whether the rejection of the counterclaim by the President of the Labour Court is in accordance with the law and whether more legal certainty should be provided.

read more...

Are our hospitals prepared for cyberattacks?

Cyber attacks on hospitals are not uncommon in Europe. For this reason, the EU has launched an action plan to improve cyber security in the healthcare sector. DP MP Gusty Graas asked the Minister of Health how often hospitals in this country have been the target of cyber attacks, how well hospitals have reacted in simulation exercises and what recommendations have been developed.

read more...

What is the state of dental health in Luxembourg?

A German study shows that caries problems have fallen sharply over the last few decades. Periodontitis, on the other hand, is still a popular disease. DP MP André Bauler asked the Minister for Health what the situation was in Luxembourg, whether the prevention policy needed to be adapted and how the number of dentists in the country was developing.

read more...