A day earlier, a report had appeared in a German daily alleging that India had opposed Turkey’s entry into the BRICS partner mechanism. Ankara’s dismissal of the report came in an official statement.
The news report also preceded German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-day official visit to India which began on October 25.
Turkey, one of the 13 countries that won the BRICS nations’ approval to enter the group’s partner mechanism this year, has often been seen as not on the same page as India on the Kashmir issue. But that seemed to have changed for now.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had brought up the Kashmir issue in his speeches at the United Nations in the past, refrained from doing so at the international body’s September meeting.
While some viewed it as Erdogan’s strategy to gain backing ahead of the BRICS Summit in Russia at the end of October, others said it was significant as it came in the middle of elections in Jammu and Kashmir.At this year’s UN meeting, Erdogan had criticised the UN for inaction on Gaza and accused Israel of turning the Palestinian territory into the “world’s largest children’s and women’s cemetery”.The BRICS’ summit aside, Turkey is also seeking to expand its investments in India and tap its markets. Erdogan had last travelled to India in 2023 for the G20 Summit and ended the visit on a positive note.
India’s economic engagement with Turkey has acquired new momentum in recent years. There’s been a considerable increase in bilateral trade, which crossed $13.80 billion in 2022-23. Indian companies have invested about $126 million in Turkey, as per Central Bank of Turkiye data. On the other hand, Turkish investment in India stands at about $210.47 million, as per India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
