Facing tumult at home, Erdogan sings Pakistani tune on Kashmir at UNGA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday raised the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly, calling for a resolution through dialogue and UN resolutions, echoing Pakistan’s tune.

“We are pleased with the ceasefire achieved following the tensions last April between Pakistan and India, which had escalated into a conflict… The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of the resolutions of the UN, for the best of our sisters and brothers in Kashmir, through dialogue, we hope,” Erdogan said.

This was not the first time Erdogan spoke on Kashmir at the UN. While he avoided the issue in last year’s General Assembly address, he had called for a resolution earlier this year during a visit to Pakistan, saying, “The Kashmir issue should be addressed according to the UN resolution through dialogue and keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. Our state and our nation, as in the past, stands in solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers today.”

India strongly rejected Erdogan’s remarks. “Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. No other country has any locus standi to comment on it. Instead of commenting on internal affairs of another country, it would have been appropriate if Pakistan’s policy of using cross-border terrorism against India, which remains the biggest threat for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, had been called out,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.