State of India – Turkey Bilateral Relations

Following Operation Sindoor, post Pahalgam massacre, Pakistan undertook drones attacks and shelling against India. It was discovered that the drones were Turkish made . This has once again put light on Turkey’s weak stance on issue of terrorism and strong support for Pakistan sponsored cross -border terrorism . If this wasn’t enough, the ill- conceived and ill- fated act of dispatching a warship to Karachi port during ongoing Operation Sindoor itself was act of aggressive ally power projection and provocative militaristic brinkmanship.

Additionally, Turkey expressed support for Pakistan when Operation Sindoor was underway, with India targeting terror infrastructure bases and eliminating over hundred terrorists , while shrewdly refraining from condemning Pahalgam attack.

All of this has culminated into an additional strain on India – Turkey Bilateral Relations. As External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, ” Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns “, which unfortunately has been flagrantly ignored by Turkey. A multi-pronged approach in form of tourism , trade and education has been reflected in anti-Turkey sentiments that has been brewing amongst the public in India. Turkish goods such as apples , marble were boycotted ; the security clearance of Turkish firm, Celebi Aviation was cancelled by the Aviation ministry ; academic agreements with Turkish educational institutions have been cancelled by Jamia Milia Islamia , Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Maulana Azad National Urdu University. Additionally, there has been a sharp spike in cancelation of trips to Turkey , with online booking sites such as Make My Trip strongly dissuading people from booking trips to Turkey.

Keeping the aforementioned developments in perspective one has view India – Turkey relations in its entirety. There needs to be a recalibration of the the relationship between India and Turkey which shares its roots in rich historical past. India enjoys trade surplus with Turkey. For example, during the period of April February 2024-25, India’s exports to Turkey were roughly to the tune of $5.2 billion and conversely that of Turkey to India was worth $2.84 billion. Indian exports include mineral fuel and oil, iron and steel, cotton, plastic , rubber, electrical equipment, man-made fibres, filaments, auto parts, chemicals and pharma ,etc. On the other hand, Turkish imports include marble , gold , apples, cement, mineral oil, iron and steel , pearls , etc. Therefore, in economic sphere there is huge burgeoning opportunity for India and Turkey to come together .

Historically, our shared value of secularism, with founder of modern Turkey , Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who vision is the beaming example for a pluralistic secular democracy in the Middle East, needs to be further harnessed , which is why it is incumbent upon Turkey to not support Pakistan , nesting ground for terrorism. Gandhi’s role in Khilafat movement and his admiration of Mustafa Kemal as guardian of Khilafat ( as stated in an article in Navjivan , March 2, 1922), needs to be revisited.

The practice of sending humanitarian aid has its historical roots . ‘Operation Dost’ was launched to assist Turkey after devastating earthquake hit Turkey in February 2023. When Turkey was hit by an earthquake in 1940, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, rallied support for victims in form of public donations.

Sources

DD NEWS

academia.edu