ANKARA (Türkiye): India’s Ambassador to Turkiye, Muktesh K. Pardeshi, on Friday urged a reset in bilateral relations, saying both nations must work towards “a measured understanding” grounded in “mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.”
Speaking at the India Embassy to mark India’s 79th Independence Day, Pardeshi acknowledged that in the past few months, during Operation Sindoor and afterwards, there have been ruptures in Turkiye’s understanding of India’s core national interests.
He emphasised that the relationship should “stand on its own merit” based on bilateral considerations and long-term objectives.
“To reshape our bilateral ties, we need to foster a measured understanding of each other, keeping in view mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. Our relationship should stand on its own merit based on bilateral considerations and long-term objectives,” he said.
Pardeshi devoted part of his address to recalling the deep historical connections between the two nations. He cited the Khilafat movement of 1919–1922, when Indian leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, rallied against British policies towards Türkiye and the planned dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.
“Indian nationalists raised funds to support Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s government in Ankara, prompting Ataturk to thank the Indian National Congress for its solidarity and to express hope that India would soon achieve Swaraj, or self-rule,” he said.
He added that Indian intellectuals and the press closely followed Turkiye’s anti-imperial struggle, while Turkish leaders observed India’s independence movement.
“This is indeed an inspirational chapter in the nationalist struggles of our two countries", he said.
Pardeshi said, "Indian nationalist leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore and others kept close contact with their Turkish counterparts, exchanging views and expressing solidarity in their common fight against imperial domination.”
Jawaharlal Nehru later praised Turkiye’s modernisation and its transformation into a secular republic.
The ambassador said that in the decades since independence, bilateral ties had been built on the foundation of shared democratic values, liberal economic outlooks, and expanding people-to-people contact.
He noted Turkiye’s growing prominence in regional and global affairs and said both countries have “plentiful opportunities” to develop comprehensive and balanced cooperation.
Highlighting outreach to the Indian community in Turkiye, Pardeshi also announced the formation of a Friends of India Association chapter in Ankara, yoga and well being programmes at the embassy, plans to install a bust of Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary this year, and a Diwali Mela to bring the community together.
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