NEW DELHI: India lashed out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his remarks on Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), saying that it was gross interference in India’s internal issues and was completely unacceptable.
“We have seen remarks by President of Turkey on Indian UT of Jammu and Kashmir. They constitute gross interference in India’s internal affairs and are completely unacceptable. Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its policies more deeply,” India’s permanent representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti, tweeted.
In his address, Erdogan said that the Kashmir conflict, which was key to the stability and peace of South Asia, was still a burning issue. “We are in favour of solving this issue through dialogue within the framework of the UN resolutions, especially in line with the expectations of the people of Kashmir,” he said.
This is not the first time that Erdogan has raised the Kashmir issue. Over the last one year, he has raised the issue at several platforms despite India’s strong objections. Last week, too, India hit out at Turkey, Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the Human Rights Council for raking up issues that were internal affairs of the country.