Signaling a desire to maintain ties with India, Turkey on Wednesday said its friendship with Pakistan should not be seen as hostility to India, adding that support for Islamabad should not overshadow cooperation elsewhere.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in a key communication message, tried to convey that Turkey’s close and “fraternal” relations with Pakistan are not unique and India should not interpret it as an unfriendly act.
Speaking at a lecture delivered by the International Institute for Strategic Studies at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, Fidan said: “This is what needs to be done between Turkey and India, because we have a lot to cooperate and benefit from, and we are mature enough to move in this direction. So Turkey is not the only country that already has good relations and fraternal relations with Pakistan. There are other countries.”
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“Whether India will take action or resent any country that has good relations and enjoys providing support to Pakistan, I don’t know,” Fidan said, according to a video of his speech shared by Clash Report on X.
He went on to reiterate Turkey’s position, saying: “But as I said, we do not have a problem at the bilateral level with India, and we urge India not to read the issue from a different perspective. This is what must be done between the two countries.”
The Turkish Foreign Minister’s statement gains importance in view of India’s tense relations with Pakistan over sponsorship of terrorism and Türkiye’s support for the latter, amid global condemnation of terrorism-related links found in investigations related to the attacks.
Türkiye and Pakistan have maintained close political, diplomatic, and defense relations for decades, with Türkiye often publicly supporting Pakistan on key international issues.
Türkiye has repeatedly echoed Pakistan’s position on Kashmir in forums such as the United Nations, drawing criticism from India.
Türkiye also maintains relations with India in the areas of trade, tourism and business, although relations have been strained from time to time due to Ankara’s comments on Kashmir and its proximity to Pakistan.
Turkey has supported Islamabad even after Operation Sindoor in May last year – Indian military strikes on terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack on April 22, 2025, in which terrorists found to have links with Pakistan killed 26 people.
During last year’s military conflict, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “We are following developments between Pakistan and India with concern. The attack carried out by India last night (May 6) raises the risk of all-out war. We condemn such provocative steps as well as attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
