India serves demarche to Turkey, says Erdogan's remarks on J&K in Pakistan may impact Delhi-Ankara ties

India on Monday served a démarche to Turkey, warning that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) during his recent visit to Pakistan would have “strong implications for bilateral relations” between New Delhi and Ankara.

Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs, summoned Ankara's envoy to New Delhi, Şakir Özkan Torunlar, to the South Block and served him the démarche. New Delhi strongly objected to the remarks Turkish President made while delivering a speech at Pakistan Parliament during his recent visit to Islamabad.

“This recent episode is but one more example of a pattern of Turkey interfering in the internal affairs of other countries,” Swarup conveyed to Torunlar. “India finds that completely unacceptable”.

“We particularly reject the repeated attempts by Turkey to justify the cross border terrorism practiced so blatantly by Pakistan,” MEA Secretary (West) told Turkey's envoy to India.

The Turkish President was on a visit to Pakistan on Friday. He addressed the lawmakers of the neighbouring country during a joint session of both Houses of its Parliament.

He said that the issue of Kashmir was as close to the hearts of people of Turkey, as it was to Pakistanis. He said that “Kashmiri brothers and sisters” had suffered “for decades” and their suffering turned “graver” due to “unilateral steps taken in recent times”.

He went on to say that that the issue of Kashmir could be resolved, not through “conflict or oppression”, but on the basis of “justice and fairness”. He said that Turkey would continue to support Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir.

New Delhi underlined in its démarche that the remarks made by Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir reflected “neither an understanding of history nor of the conduct of diplomacy”. The remarks “distorted events of the past to advance a narrow minded view of the present”.

“These developments have strong implications for our bilateral relationship,” Swarup told Ankara's envoy to New Delhi on Monday.

India's relations with Turkey turned sour over the past few months, particularly after Erdogan referred to the issue of Kashmir in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019. He criticized the August 5 decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government in New Delhi to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and to reorganize the state into two Union Territories.

Modi cancelled proposed visit to Ankara after Turkish President echoed Pakistan Prime Minister on the issue of Kashmir at the UNGA in September 2019.