‘Integral And Inalienable Part’: India To Turkey’s Erdogan On Kashmir Comments (Photo Credit: IANS)
New Delhi:
India on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments on Kashmir and asked him not to interfere in India’s internal affairs. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India rejects all references made by the Turkish President on Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India.
In an address at Pakistan’s Parliament on Friday, Erdogan compared “the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I”.
“India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India,” Kumar said in reference to Erdogan’s comments on Jammu and Kashmir.
“We call upon the Turkish leadership not to interfere in India’s internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region,” he said.
Pakistan Prime minister Imran Khan also thanked Turkey for its support on various issues, especially on Kashmir. He also said that Turkey was supportive of Pakistan on the issue of its efforts to come out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force.
Imran Khan said on Friday that the trade ties between Pakistan and Turkey had entered a new era as the two countries signed 13 agreements including a joint declaration on strategic economic framework to promote their multi-faceted relationship.
The agreements were signed on the second and final day of the two-day visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Pakistan.
The State-run Pakistan Television (PTV) reported that the agreements were about cooperation in the fields of tourism and culture, food security, postal services, railways, military training, trade, transport and infrastructure and information technology.
An agreement was also signed for cooperation between the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and PTV and Radio Pakistan.
President Erdogan and Prime Minister Khan also signed two documents, including the declaration of strategic economic framework and the joint declaration.
Later, addressing a joint press conference, President Erdogan said that the two sides were committed to deepen economic ties.
“In the last meeting in Ankara, we had agreed to bring the level of our foreign trade volume to USD 5 billion by 2023. The strategic economic framework and its next action plan is almost ready... It is the roadmap for how we can deepen our economic relations,” he said.
Erdogan offered to assist Pakistan in areas of transportation, energy, tourism, health care, education and law enforcement. He said the two countries also enjoyed good defence ties.
