Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey's close relationship with Pakistan should not damage its bilateral ties with India.
This diplomatic outreach is intended to reassure New Delhi that Ankara's strategic partnership with Islamabad is not an act of hostility. As geopolitical tensions fluctuate across South Asia, Turkey is attempting to preserve a stable relationship with India while maintaining its longstanding commitments to Pakistan.
Fidan said that the two nations are capable of cooperating despite their differing regional alignments. The Turkish government seeks to decouple its specific friendship with one state from its broader diplomatic goals with another, a balancing act necessary for Turkey's growing influence in Asia.
"We are mature enough to have friendly relations with both India and Pakistan," Fidan said.
He said that the nature of Turkey's foreign policy is not zero-sum. By framing the relationship as a matter of maturity, Fidan suggests that India and Turkey can engage in trade and diplomacy without requiring the other to sever ties with common partners.
"Our friendship with Pakistan should not be interpreted as hostility towards India," Fidan said.
The statement comes as Turkey continues to navigate complex regional dynamics where India and Pakistan remain locked in a long-term rivalry. Ankara's approach aims to ensure that its support for Pakistan does not create a permanent diplomatic barrier with India, which remains a critical economic partner.
“"We are mature enough to have friendly relations with both India and Pakistan."”
Turkey is attempting to implement a 'multi-vector' foreign policy in South Asia. By explicitly stating that its ties with Pakistan are not antagonistic toward India, Ankara is trying to avoid being drawn into the India-Pakistan rivalry, which could otherwise limit its economic and diplomatic opportunities in one of the world's fastest-growing regions.
