Engage Turkey to change stand on J&K

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to India is likely to be remembered more for what he said before his trip than for the achievements during the visit. Speaking to the Turkish media on the eve of his visit, Erdogan suggested “multilateral dialogue” for resolution of the Kashmir dispute and offered to play a mediatory role. His offer was politely rejected by India. India’s consistent position on Kashmir is well known; it believes that only bilateral dialogue with Pakistan can settle the dispute and has been firmly opposed to multilateral talks and third-party mediation. By offering himself as an intermediary between India and Pakistan in a multilateral dialogue, Erdogan was endorsing the Pakistani position.

Although this did ruffle feathers in India, New Delhi did well to not allow Erdogan’s articulation of Pakistan’s views to spoil the mood during his visit. To some extent, India brought this upon itself. Just days ahead of Erdogan’s visit, New Delhi hosted his Cypriot counterpart, Nicos Anastasiades. Besides, Vice-President Hamid Ansari visited Armenia days earlier. Given Ankara’s deep hostility towards Armenia and Cyprus, the Ansari and Anastasia­des visits were akin to waving a red rag in front of it. Although India brushed it aside as “coincidence,” the visits should have been scheduled with greater sensitivity.

India could have avoided casting a shadow over Erdogan’s visit.

No major agreements were signed. However, during Erdogan’s visit, the two sides committed to increasing bilateral trade from the current $6.4 billion to $10 billion by 2020. They exchanged views on terrorism, the need for UN reforms etc. It is unfortunate that India-Turkey relations, which go back several centuries, have not been tapped to their full potential. Turkey’s tilt towards Pakistan, which has coloured its perception of India, is partly to blame. Ankara supports Pakistan’s position on Kashmir and is among the handful of countries blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Its argument is that India and Pakistan should be made members simultaneously. This doesn’t help India’s case given the international community’s concern over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. In New Delhi, Erdogan expressed support for India’s membership to the NSG. India will be hoping that this support is without the usual rider.

How bilateral relations will evolve in future will depend on the persistence with which India engages Turkey. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also pro-Pakistan and it was through diplomatic engagement, building trade and economic ties that India was able to get these countries to understand its concerns over cross-border terrorism. Likewise, it is through determined diplomacy and dialogue with Ankara that New Delhi can win its support. Provocative moves are unhelpful to India’s long-term interests.