India-Turkey Ties: Cooperation Persists Despite Kashmir, Pakistan Tensions

India and Turkey have a long relationship, but it has not been smooth. Turkey is a NATO member (an alliance of mostly Western countries built around collective defence) since 1952. Turkey has often used its position in the Islamic world to speak about Kashmir. Turkey has repeatedly raised Kashmir at the UN General Assembly, including after India abrogated Article 370 in 2019. Article 370 had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Turkish leaders spoke about Kashmir again in 2020 and 2021. They spoke about it again after Pakistan and Turkey drew closer through a new security pact. India's position has stayed the same. Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are internal, integral parts of India. No outside country has a role in this matter.

Despite this friction that keeps happening, India and Turkey have kept a working legal relationship. The 2001 India-Turkey Extradition Treaty provides the legal basis for cooperation on serious crimes despite political friction. This allows Indian agencies to pursue fugitives who use Turkey as a safe place or transit point. This treaty has worked even when broader diplomatic contact was frozen. This shows that law-enforcement cooperation and political disagreement can work on separate tracks.

West Asia's wider security setup has also shaped the relationship. The region does not have a body like NATO with a binding mutual-defence clause. The Gulf Cooperation Council mainly handles economic coordination. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is a diplomatic forum without military power. Into this gap, informal ties have long operated, especially between Pakistan and Gulf states. Turkey's growing defence-industrial strength has added a new, independent layer to this picture.