While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached America, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited Pakistan twice.
President Donald Trump invited PM Modi and Erdogan was invited by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Modi has reached America for the first time after Trump became President again, while Erdogan has come to Pakistan for the first time after Shahbaz Sharif became Prime Minister in March 2024.
Turkey and America are both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization i.e. NATO but the stance of both countries is different in international politics.
India and Pakistan are both neighbors but the stance of both countries in global politics is opposite.
Erdogan has reached Pakistan after Malaysia and Indonesia. Turkey is a Sunni Muslim majority country. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan are also Sunni Muslim majority countries.
Erdogan and Shahbaz Sharif will chair the Pakistan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad on Thursday.
Regarding the Pakistan visit, Erdogan had written on X, “Pakistan has a special place in Turkey’s heart. We hope that this visit will strengthen the foundation of friendship and brotherhood with Pakistan. We will participate in the business forum here. This will increase contact between the private sectors of the two countries.”
Why visit Pakistan
In recent years, defense relations between Pakistan and Turkey have deepened. However, bilateral trade between the two countries is still stuck at one billion dollars. The goal of both countries is to increase bilateral trade to five billion dollars.
On the other hand, even though there is no warmth in relations between India and Turkey, bilateral trade was $ 10 billion last year. In 2022, bilateral trade between the two countries was $ 14 billion.
Only last month, India’s Ambassador to Turkey Muktesh Pardeshi said that the target is to increase the trade between the two countries to $20 billion by 2025.
India has a trade surplus with Turkey. That is, India sells more of its goods in Turkey and buys less.
Defense cooperation plays an important role in the relations between Pakistan and Turkey. According to the 2023 report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Turkey is the second largest arms supplier country to Pakistan.
The two countries are also doing defense production together. Turkey is providing drone technology to Pakistan.
Erdogan has reached Pakistan when there is a lot of turmoil in the Middle East due to Donald Trump’s policy towards Palestinians.
In such a situation, how should this visit of Erdogan be seen?
Professor AK Pasha of the Centre for West Asia Studies at Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University says, “Turkey could not become a member of the EU, so its stance is now more towards Islamic countries. There is good cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey in the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC).”
“Pakistan tries to take advantage of the Gulf countries as well as Turkey. There is a kind of vacuum in leadership in the Islamic world and right now Turkey seems to be at the forefront in filling it.”
Historical closeness between Pakistan and Turkey
Regarding Narendra Modi and Erdogan, AK Pasha says, “Both leaders represent religious majoritarianism. Erdogan does Islamic politics and Modi does Hindutva politics. In such a situation, it is natural for Turkey and Pakistan to become closer. Turkey considers Pakistan a brother and India a friend.”
Turkey has had a pro-Pakistan stance in the past as well. It started in the early 1950s or the era of the Cold War.
During this period, two wars also took place between India and Pakistan. Diplomatic relations between Turkey and India were established in 1948. At that time, India had been independent for barely a year.
In these decades, a close partnership between India and Turkey could not develop. There has been tension between Turkey and India due to two reasons.
First, Turkey’s pro-Pakistan stance in the Kashmir issue and second, Turkey was in the American camp in the Cold War while India was advocating non-alignment.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization i.e. NATO was formed in 1949 after the Second World War. Turkey was its member. NATO was seen as an anti-Soviet Union organization.
Apart from this, in 1955, Turkey, Iraq, Britain, Pakistan, and Iran together formed the ‘Baghdad Pact’. The Baghdad Pact was then called a defensive organization.
In this, the five countries talked about achieving their common political, military, and economic goals. It was on the lines of NATO.
Iraq had left the Baghdad Pact in 1959. After Iraq’s exit, its name was changed to Central Treaty Organization. The Baghdad Pact was also seen as being against the Soviet Union.
On the other hand, India, despite talking about non-alignment, seemed close to the Soviet Union.
When the Cold War started weakening, Turgut Ozal, who was considered a ‘pro-West’ and ‘liberal’ President of Turkey, tried to bring relations with India back on track.
India’s anger over Kashmir
Ozal visited India in 1986. During this visit, Ozal proposed to set up offices for military representatives in the embassies of both countries. After this, the then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi visited Turkey in 1988. After Rajiv Gandhi’s visit, the relations between the two countries improved on many fronts.
But despite this, Turkey’s stance on the Kashmir issue remained in favor of Pakistan, so the relations could not get closer.
In 1991, a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an organization of Islamic countries, was held and in this meeting, the Turkish Foreign Minister criticized India on Kashmir.
In 2003, the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Turkey. During this visit, an agreement was reached to maintain contact between the defense ministers of the two countries.
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Professor AK Pasha says, “Bulant Ezequit was the only Turkish Prime Minister who could be seen as a ‘pro-India’ Prime Minister because he did not approve the coup of General Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan.”
“Ezequit visited India in April 2000. This was the first visit by a Turkish President in the last 14 years. Ezequit declined the invitation to visit Pakistan.”
“Most importantly, Ezequit revised Turkey’s traditional stance on Kashmir. Turkey’s stance on Kashmir has been that its solution should be under the supervision of the United Nations.”
“But Ezequit advocated finding a bilateral solution to it. Due to this attitude of Turkey, relations with India were strengthened.”
Business with India
Professor Pasha says, ”When the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in Turkey, the possibilities of deepening relations between the two countries increased. AKP used to talk about going with the EU and wanted to take trade relations out of the Middle East.”
“India was an emerging economy and there was not much possibility in terms of trade with Pakistan. AKP tried to increase relations with India, but not on the condition of deteriorating relations with Pakistan.”
In 2008, Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited India. During this visit, he talked about a free trade agreement with India.
Next year, India sent Turkey’s first nano satellite into space with PSLV C-14.
After this, in 2010, the then-President of Turkey Abdullah Gul visited India and talked about increasing cooperation in space research. Trade between the two countries also started picking up pace.
The bilateral trade between the two countries was $505 million in 2000 which rose to $8.7 billion in 2018.
India became Turkey’s second-largest trade partner in East Asia after China. On the other hand, Pakistan’s trade with Turkey has not even reached one billion dollars.
In 2017, Erdogan came to India as President. Erdogan was accompanied by a 100-member business delegation. But Narendra Modi has not visited Turkey even once after becoming Prime Minister.
Pakistan is also considered an important factor behind Modi not visiting Turkey. Erdogan’s stance on Kashmir has also been on the same line as Pakistan.
In 2010, India was removed from the Turkey-led talks on Afghanistan.
Apart from this, Turkey opposed India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group i.e. NSG. It is said that Turkey’s stance was under pressure from Pakistan.
When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Pakistan in February 2020, the then Prime Minister Imran Khan proudly said in a joint press conference that the Turks ruled India for 600 years.
Imran Khan had said, “We are all happy with your arrival because the community understands that we have had relations with Turkey for centuries. The Turks ruled India for 600 years.”
Professor Ashwini Mahapatra of the Center for West Asia Studies at JNU says that Erdogan wants to become the leader of the Islamic world.
Professor Mahapatra says, “Turkey has the potential to become the leader of the Islamic world. It has a rich heritage of the Ottoman Empire. It has democracy and is also ahead of other Islamic countries in terms of technology.”
He says, “Right now Iran and Saudi are not in that position. Pakistan also supports Turkey’s leadership.”
