Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan brought up the Kashmir issue during his address to the world leaders at the 78th UN General Assembly.
Erdogan’s comments come weeks after he supported India’s bid for a permanent membership of the UN Security Council and met Indian PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
Overview
Speaking at the UNGA, Erdogan said, “Another development that will pave the way for regional peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia will be the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan.”
During the General Debate on Tuesday, he mentioned, “As Turkey, we will continue to support the steps to be taken in this direction.”
Turkey has repeatedly supported Pakistan in the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir.
Turkey also raised the issue at the UNGA in 2022 when it called on India to adhere to the UN resolutions on the dispute.
At UNGA speech on tuesday, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for "just & lasting peace in Kashmir" thru dialogue between "India & Pakistan"; Says his country will support "steps" to be taken
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) September 20, 2023
Vdo ctsy: UN Web TV pic.twitter.com/IF1ri5OlQR
Similar comments calling for ‘permanent peace’ in Kashmir were also made by Erdogan just a week after he met Indian PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2022.
Strains in India-Turkey Ties
Ties of Turkey and India have witnessed issues in the recent times, with Erdogan’s bid to oppose the India-Middle East-European Corridor (IMEC) being the latest in this regard.
The IMEC was signed between India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, the EU, Italy, Germany, and the US on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
While Ankara opposed the corridor saying that Turkey must be an essential part of such an arrangement, Erdogan expressed support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
However, Turkey’s closeness to India’s rival Pakistan acts as a bone of contention between the two countries.
They have also faced tensions over the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, with India siding with Armenia and Turkey supporting Azerbaijan.
Several reports have suggested that India is helping Armenia in its defence supply.
The involvement of Turkey and Pakistan as the primary military suppliers to Azerbaijan further complicates the relationship between the two countries.
The ties have also taken a hit following India’s support to Greece over the issue of Cyprus.
Turkey has a sovereignty dispute with Cyprus and occupies the northern part of the island.
Additionally, Turkey was one of the few countries opposing India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Nonetheless, while being on opposite ends of several high-level regional issues, the two have nations have affirmed having a similar approach to the Russia-Ukraine War, demanding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
India also assisted Turkey when it was hit by a massive earthquake in February.
In his recent meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi, Erdogan called India “Turkey’s biggest trade partner in South Asia.”
Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Modi and Erdogan discussed trade and investment, defence and security, civil aviation and shipping, signalling an improvement in the ties.