India summoned the Turkish ambassador to lodge a diplomatic protest over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks on the disputed region of Kashmir and warned it would have a bearing on bilateral ties.
India, which considers all of Kashmir an integral part of the country, told Turkish envoy Sakir Ozkan Torunlar that Erdogan’s comments lacked any understanding of the history of the Kashmir dispute, Reuters reported.
"This recent episode is but one more example of a pattern of Turkey interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. India finds that completely unacceptable," foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.
He said that India had served a strong demarche, or formal diplomatic note. "These developments have strong implications for our bilateral relations," the foreign ministry spokesman said, referring to Erdogan’s comments.
During a visit to Pakistan last week, Erdogan said the situation in Indian Kashmir was worsening because of sweeping changes New Delhi introduced in the Muslim-majority territory and that Turkey stood in solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
