India on Tuesday rejected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly, describing his references as “unwarranted” and asserting that no external party has any locus standi on matters concerning the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Responding to questions on Erdogan’s remarks, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s position that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and rejected attempts by external parties to comment on the issue.
‘Unwarranted references’
“You would have seen that the remarks you referred to were made by the Turkish President. India rejects the unwarranted references to India and the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir made by the President of Türkiye during his address to the UN General Assembly,” Jaiswal said.
“This is a matter, as you would understand, pertaining to India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and no external party has any locus standi on this issue,” he added. The response came a week after Erdogan raised Kashmir during his address to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Erdogan calls for dialogue
In his UNGA speech, Erdogan said disputes in South Asia, including Kashmir, should be addressed through dialogue within the framework of the UN Charter and relevant resolutions. “In South Asia, it is important that all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, be addressed through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations Charter and of relevant resolutions,” Erdogan said. The Turkish President added that constructive action could help resolve outstanding issues. India, however, has consistently rejected third-party intervention on Jammu and Kashmir.
Recurring UNGA issue
Erdogan has repeatedly referred to Kashmir in his speeches at the UN General Assembly since India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in August 2019. He raised the issue at the UN in 2019 and in several subsequent addresses, although he did not refer to Kashmir in his 2024 speech. He again brought up the issue during the 2025 General Assembly session. New Delhi has responded to such remarks by reiterating that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that external parties have no role in matters concerning the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
OIC remarks rejected
India’s latest response to Erdogan also follows its rejection last week of references to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint communique issued by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. The MEA had called those references “unwarranted and factually incorrect” and said the OIC had no locus standi to pronounce on matters that were strictly internal to India. The OIC Contact Group includes Türkiye alongside Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Niger. Its meeting was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.
Ties under strain
Kashmir has periodically emerged as a point of friction in India-Türkiye relations because of Ankara’s position on the issue and its close strategic relationship with Pakistan. Ties also came under pressure following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, when Türkiye expressed solidarity with Pakistan and called for de-escalation.
Despite those differences, New Delhi and Ankara have continued diplomatic and economic engagement. Erdogan’s latest UNGA remarks, however, have once again brought their disagreement over Kashmir into focus.