Turkey and India are friendly countries. Their relationship has a long history. It goes back to more than a thousand years.
I served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Turkish Embassy in New Delhi, India, for 2 years. In my professional life of more than 43 years, I have been in developed countries such as Canada, USA, Germany and France. However, I must say that among all the foreign missions I have been in, the country that impressed me the most was India. Indeed, India has made significant contributions to world civilization in various fields. Today, it is in a prominent position in the fields of economy, technology and literature.
In this presentation, I will first talk about the history of Turkey-India relations and then try to convey my views on the future.
Indian sub-continent as a whole, Moslems and Hindus alike supported Ottoman Empire during the Balkan Wars sending a medical team as well as the Turkish Independence War with financial assistance.
Mahatma Gandhi, moral leader and Jawaharlal Nehru, political leader of the Indian independence both supported Turkish Independence War. Nehru says in his memoirs that when Turkish Armies were victorious at the end of the Independence War they celebrated, himself and his friends, the event at the Lucknow prison. Nehru reserved a few chapters to Republican Turkey in his comprehensive book ‘’Glimpses of History’’.
There is a sizable Moslem Community in India. Turkey has always had good relations with all Indian communities including both Moslem and Hindu communities.
After the independence of India in 1947 there were always contacts between Turkey and India. Nevertheless political, economic and cultural relations have not attained a desired high level.
The reason behind this development was the fact that Turkey joined the Western Alliance under a serious Soviet threat after the Second World War and on the other hand India was becoming one of the leaders of the new Non-Aligned Movement to be created in 1955.
Indeed, in 1955 Bandung Conference where the Non-Aligned movement was officially brought into existence, Turkey and India had conflicting views. Nehru was one of the defenders of the new movement. Nevertheless, Turkey, represented by the Deputy Prime Minister Fatin Rüştü Zorlu was against it and defended the alliance system against possible aggressions and also expressed the view that the Conference should condemn all kinds of imperialism (including the Soviet). It was done in the Final Communiqué of the Conference.
In the following processTurkey was one of the allied countries of the Bagdad Pact together with the US, the UK , İran and Pakistan (turned into CENTO after coup d’état in Irak) against Soviet expansionism in the Middle East. Regional countries of the CENTO Iran, Pakistan and Turkey formed RCD for regional cooperation among themselves.
Within this context Turkey’s relations with Pakistan developed. Unfortunately there was no parallel development as far as Turkish-Indian relations are concerned.
Within the Non-Aligned Movement India had shared the view of the Non-Aligned countries on the Cyprus issue. On the Kashmir question Turkey has supported the UN approach.
Despite all these, in early 1950’s parliamentary contacts and mutual visits started between Turkish and Indian parliamentarians. Friendship groups were established at both parliaments.
There were also high level visits. İn 1958 Adnan Menderes Turkish Prime Minister paid a visit to India in order to develop relations between the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s return visit to Ankara in 1960 was also an important development. He was received warmly by Prime Minister Menderes. He had also warm and friendly conversation with Zorlu, who was Foreign Minister at that time.
There have always been contacts between Turkey and India at technical level. In addition to that there were also mutual visits at the level of foreign ministers including the visits of Turkish Foreign Ministers, İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil and Gündüz Ökçün.
Despite all this, however, a breakthrough was made at a later stage, due to the personal friendship of Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Özal and Rajiv Gandhi Indian Prime Minister. Özal who served for some time in the World Bank at Washington had a global vision and was aware of India’s importance, paid a visit to India in 1986 and Rajiv Gandhi made a retun visit to Turkey in 1988. Both Prime Ministers’ vantage point was that Turkey and India should focus on developing their relations in all areas including economic, trade and cultural, relations, thus leaving aside their approaches on Cyprus and Kashmir issues and taking benefit of great existing potentialities. This approach produced positive results. Both leaders agreed on the following:
-Creation of Joint Economic Committee,
-Civil aviation agreement: Thus Turkish Airlines (THY) started flights to Mumbai and Delhi,
-Giving electrification and signalization projects in Turkey to Indian National Railway Company IRCON,
-Exports by Turkey to India, chick peas and red lentil (lal dal),
-Cooperation between national television institutions.
In 1989 Turkish President of the Republic Kenan Evren made a state visit to India, first time ever by a Turkish head of state. His visit was reciprocated.
Indeed, in the following period there were various mutual high level visits by prime ministers and presidents of the republic.
Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish President himself attaches importance to develop Turkey’s relations with India. As a matter of fact in 2017 he made a state visit to India and in 2023 on the occasion of G-20 meeting he visited again India and had talks with Indian leaders.
Actually, there is a great potential between Turkey and India in the field of economic and trade relations. India made a great progress in the field of technology, trade, economic development thus becoming globally a major player. India is a member of Brics, G-20 and various Indo-Pacific Organizations and Turkey due to her geopolitical location is an important gate leading to various regions in the world.
In order to develop their relations in future Turkey and India could materialize the following measures:
-Mutual visits by private sectors delegations with the aim of developping economic and trade relations.
-Exchange of delegations by private sector roof organizations and official government representatives in charge of economic and trade relations,
-Contacts between media organizations to help publics of both countries to know each other better.
-Cultural exchange programs,
-Mutual scholarships to be granted to Turkish and Indian students.
-Contacts among academicians, universities and think tank organizations.
In addition to all these, Turkey and India may cooperate in G-20, within the UN and other international and regional organizations. Turkish-Indian cooperation could be realised in various regions such as Indo-Pacific area, East and South Africa, Europe, Caucasus etc.
