India has issued a strong message to Turkey, calling on Ankara to urge Pakistan to end its support for cross-border terrorism and dismantle the terror infrastructure it has nurtured over the years. The statement came from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a press briefing on Thursday, May 22, in New Delhi.
“We expect Turkiye to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harboured for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns,” Jaiswal said.
The remarks follow Turkey’s continued support for Pakistan and its opposition to India’s recent Operation Sindoor. The military operation was launched in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and targeted terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).
India-Turkey relations have recently come under strain due to Ankara’s increasing alignment with Islamabad. In response, India has stressed that bilateral ties must be grounded in mutual respect and an understanding of each other’s core concerns.
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Jaiswal also reaffirmed India’s stance on engagement with Pakistan, making it clear that talks cannot proceed unless Islamabad takes concrete steps against terrorism. He pointed out that India had earlier submitted a list of wanted terrorists to Pakistan and urged their extradition.
“Our position is clear — talks and terror cannot go together. Any engagement with Pakistan must be bilateral and based on action against terrorism,” he said.
