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The control of the Turkish Straits was and will continue to be a subject of conflict and perpetual negotiations, given the geostrategic importance of these maritime passages. The stated purpose of the Istanbul Canal is to reduce maritime traffic through the Bosphorus Strait, but a closer look at the implications of this infrastructure project may reveal a hidden objective – to give Turkey control over the transit between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. The construction of the canal has the potential to strengthen the strategic role of Ankara on the regional and international stages, since Turkey will have full authority over the project, probably without the limitations of the Montreux Convention. Henceforth, the Turkish authorities will have the power to grant passage through the new canal, and this kind of decision power alone has geostrategic implications that can alter the security in the region and especially in the Black Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]