After Op Sindoor freeze, a thaw in India-Turkey ties, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• India-Turkey relations, strained by Turkey's stance on Kashmir and support for Pakistan, are showing signs of a thaw in 2026.
• The relationship hit a low point in 2025 after Turkey condemned Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the Pabal-gam terrorist attack.
• In April 2026, foreign office consultations resumed after a four-year hiatus, signaling a diplomatic rapprochement.
• India successfully extradited narcotics trafficker Salim Dola from Turkey, indicating renewed security cooperation.
• Bilateral trade, which reached $13.82 billion in 2022, had shrunk following the diplomatic friction.

Detailed Insights:

• Turkey's criticism of India's 2019 revocation of Article 370 at the UN and its supply of military hardware to Pakistan significantly strained ties.
• Operation Sindoor in May 2025 led to severe diplomatic and economic backlash from India due to Turkey's condemnation and alleged military support to Pakistan.
• India responded by deepening engagement with Cyprus and cancelling a multibillion-dollar aircraft maintenance contract with a Turkish firm.
• Indian universities suspended MOUs with Turkish institutions, and Indian tourist arrivals in Turkey dropped by nearly 37%.
• The recent thaw is driven by Turkey's economic interests, seeking to insulate them from its alliance with Pakistan.
• India's Ambassador to Turkey, Muktesh Pardeshi, confirmed satisfactory dialogue, emphasizing the importance of continued communication.
• Turkey has clarified that its military support to Pakistan is part of long-standing defense ties, not additional assistance during conflicts.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Operation Sindoor: India's military response in May 2025 following the Pabal-gam terrorist attack.
• Article 370: A provision in the Constitution of India that granted special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, revoked in 2019.
• Extradition: The formal process by which a state surrenders an individual to another state for prosecution or punishment for crimes committed.