NEW DELHI, May 17 War-obsessed India has suspended its trade and educational ties with Türkiye over its unconditional support for Pakistan, Indian media reported Saturday.
From security and aviation to education and trade, New Delhi isn’t sparing Ankara after it backed Islamabad during Operation Sindoor.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, trade and educational ties with Turkey have been suspended in the context of Turkiye’s unconditional support for Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan tension.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs says that reviewing ties with countries that question India’s sovereignty is part of our policy.
Turkey didn’t offer Pakistan just verbal support – it also reportedly sent its ally unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which were used against India as well as drone operators.
Many on social media also pointed out that Ankara’s support for Islamabad came after New Delhi launched Operation Dost in February 2023 to support Turkey after a devasting earthquake.
As per The Times of India, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) on Thursday wrote to vice-chancellors across the country.
The AIU, citing national security, urged the VCs to suspend academic ties with Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
A number of colleges including Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia and Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSJMU) have already done so.
The Jamia Millia University (JMI) in Delhi had cancelled its MoU with Turkish educational institutes with “immediate effect,” while JNU had done so citing national security.
There are also calls to boycott Turkish Airlines – which does big business in India – and is tied up with IndiGo.
Turkish Airlines has 56 weekly flights to 10 destinations within the country – Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Trichy.
The airline connects Indian passengers to 352 destinations across 131 countries including in Europe, the Americas, and Africa. It carried 85.2 million passengers across the world in 2024 –a 2.1% increase from 2023. India is thought to contribute significantly to the airline’s numbers.
The airline in 2022 generated $16.7 billion in passenger and cargo revenue from international flights. Though Europe led the figures, India again is thought to have made a sizeable contribution.
Passenger revenue in 2024 rose four percent increased to $18.7 billion globally. In short, any boycott of Turkish Airlines by Indian citizens would hurt its bottom line. Turkish Cargo, the airline’s freight division, also functions at Delhi and Mumbai International Airports.
IndiGo has defended its partnership with Turkish Airlines. “The codeshare has enabled IndiGo to build its presence in the long-haul markets in Europe and the US, putting in place the foundation for self-sufficiency, i.e. its long-haul foray with the 40 A321 XLR and 30 A350 aircraft ordered by the airline,” an airline spokesman was quoted as saying.
The Indian government announced it has cancelled the security clearance of Turkish firm Celbi Security Services over national security concerns. As per Economic Times, the company first began providing services at the Mumbai International Airport.
It now provides does so at nine airports across India – Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Kannur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad and Chennai.