Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue during his address at the United Nations General Assembly and said that it “should be addressed through dialogue”.
“In South Asia, it is important that all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, be addressed through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations Charter and of relevant resolutions,” Erdogan said during his address.
This is not the first time Erdogan has spoken about the Kashmir issue during his UNGA address. Last year too in September, he had called for a resolution for the issue of Kashmir at UNGA.
“The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of the resolutions of the UN, for the best of our sisters and brothers in Kashmir, through dialogue, we hope,” he had said.
India had reacted sharply to the Turkish President's remarks, making it clear that the matter is strictly bilateral and does not require involvement from outside parties.
"Our stand on the Kashmir issue is very clear, there has been no change in it. As far as mediation is concerned, there too, there is no need for any third party to mediate on the bilateral issues between India and Pakistan," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had asserted.
However in 2024, Erdogan skipped mentioning Jammu and Kashmir in his speech at the UNGA.
Earlier in February 2025, the Turkish President had visited Pakistan and spoken about the Kashmir issue. At a media interaction in Islamabad on February 13, 2025, Erdogan said the Kashmir issue should be resolved through dialogue between India and Pakistan.
“The Kashmir issue should be addressed according to the UN resolution through dialogue and keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. Our state and our nation, as in the past, stands in solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers today,” he had said.
India later rejected Turkish President's call for the Kashmir issue to be addressed in line with a UN resolution and lodged with the Turkish envoy over the unwarranted and unacceptable remarks.
“We reject such objectionable comments on matters which are internal to India. We have lodged a strong protest with the Turkish ambassador in Delhi. Such unwarranted statements on India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are unacceptable. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. No other country has any locus standi to comment on it," Jaiswal had said.
