TURKEY AND RUSSIA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 300, 2 October 1939, Page 5

TURKEY AND RUSSIA.

NEW AGREEMENT REPORTED. PLEDGES TO ALLIES AFFECTED. DOME, September 30. ' The Rome radio reports that Turkey and Russia, have come to an agreement to close Dardanelles to all belligerents. The Ankara correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says it is reliably stated that Turkey has notified 1 Britain and France that her mutual assistance obligations to them are automatically cancelled in the event of the Allies being involved in war with Russia. Diplomatic circles in Ankara state that the texts of the British-Turkish and French-Turkish mutual assistance and economic pacts have been finally agreed' on, and they will be signed immediately after the return of the Turkish Foreign Minister (Sukru Saracoglu) from Moscow. A Turkish military mission is already on its way to England. It is insisted that the new TurkishRussia.n, Pact, which M. Saracoglu is negotiating in no way impairs" Turkey’s pledges to Britain and France. It is expected that the Turkish-Rus-sian Pact will be on© of mutual solidarity and will probably contain no reference to anything but pure!- Tur-kish-Russian questions. It is emphasised that Turkey’s British, French, and Russian agreements all aim at maintaining the status quo in the Balkans and the Black Sea and security in the Mediterranean. ATTITUDE OF TURKEY. SOVIET TALKS NOT RESUMED. 1 (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) MOSCOW, October 1. The activities of Sukru Saracoglu i (Turkish Foreign Minister) continue to puzzle observers. Two days have passed since Herr von Ribbentrop’s departure without resumption of the RussianTurkish talks. On the contrary, Sukru Saracoglu had conversations with Sir William Seeds (British Ambassador) and the French Charge D'affaires (M. Jc-an Payart). He also received the Afghan and Iranian envoys.