Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Wednesday responded to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who said Ankara had no bilateral problem with New Delhi. Sibal accused Turkey of years of anti-India actions and said its growing Islamic orientation has become a problem in bilateral ties.

Sibal's comments came after Fidan, speaking at The IISS Raffles Lectures, said Türkiye had no bilateral issues with India and urged New Delhi not to view its relationship with Pakistan through a different lens.

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"If India is going to be resentful about any country having good relations with Pakistan, there are many such countries," Fidan said. "We have no problem on a bilateral level with India, and we urge India not to read the issue from a different perspective."

Responding to the remarks, Sibal said the Turkish foreign minister was overlooking Ankara's own conduct towards India. "The Turkish Foreign Minister is not being honest," Sibal wrote on X.

Turkey has repeatedly taken positions that India views as hostile, despite New Delhi's efforts to preserve the relationship, the former foreign secretary said. "Turkey has engaged in provocations against India for many years, which India has tried to ignore so as not to damage ties beyond repair."

Sibal stressed that India does not object to countries maintaining ties with Pakistan, provided those relationships are not directed against Indian interests. "India is not resentful of any country having friendly ties with Pakistan so long as they do not have an overt anti-India content."

At the same time, he argued that Turkey's growing Islamic orientation has complicated ties. "Turkey's increasing Islamic leanings are a problem."

Sibal pointed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's repeated interventions on Kashmir, saying he is "the only leader who raises Kashmir in his speech at the UNGA."

He also accused Erdogan of making "objectionable Islamic-oriented remarks on Kashmir" during visits to Pakistan. "Erdogan has made objectionable Islamic-oriented remarks on Kashmir while visiting Pakistan. Turkey is very active in the OIC on the Kashmir issue. Turkey is arming Pakistan. Turkey is a big centre for producing and disseminating Pakistani propaganda against India."

The India-Turkey relations have taken a hit after Ankara sided with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror strike. Turkey backed Pakistan after India's counter-terror missile strikes during Operation Sindoor, with President Erdogan expressing solidarity with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and describing India's actions as "provocative" and a risk to regional stability.

The fallout triggered public calls in India to boycott Turkish goods and led to the revocation of security clearance for Turkish aviation services company Celebi at nine Indian airports, including Delhi and Mumbai.

Indian tourist arrivals to Turkey also fell sharply, dropping 37% in June 2025.

Published on: Jun 3, 2026 6:39 PM IST