India and Turkey reset ties despite Kashmir

India and Turkey are trying something very normal — and, for them, slightly surprising. They are talking again in an organized, official way even though Kashmir still sits in the middle of the relationship like a live wire. The shift became concrete on April 8, when the two countries held the 12th round of Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi. That does not erase years of friction. But it does tell you both governments have decided the relationship is still worth maintaining. ### What actually changed? The immediate news is simple: India and Türkiye resumed senior-level diplomatic consultations, with India’s Secretary (West) Sibi George and Türkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci leading the meeting. The two sides discussed trade, investment, science, technology, culture, and regional issues, and they agreed to keep regular engagement going. In diplomatic language, that is a reset button — not a reconciliation, but a decision to keep the machinery running. (mea.gov.in) ### Why is that notable? Because the relationship has been strained for years, mostly over Turkey’s support for Pakistan and its repeated comments on Kashmir. Ankara has kept the issue alive in multilateral settings, which India sees as direct interference in a core sovereignty question. That dispute never really went away. What changed is not the disagreement itself, but the choice to stop letting it freeze everything else. (mea.gov.in) ### Why talk now? Trade is the obvious reason. India’s own economic diplomacy material last year still described economic and commercial ties as an important dimension of the relationship. Indian government-linked reporting in 2025 put India’s exports to Turkey at $5.2 billion and imports at $2.84 billion in the first 11 months of the 2024-25 fiscal year. That is not a giant trade corridor, but it is big enough that neither side wants politics to shut it down casually. (business-standard.com) ### Is this just about commerce? Not really. Geography matters too. Turkey sits across routes linking Europe, the Mediterranean, West Asia, and the Black Sea. India is trying to build more options westward, especially as trade corridors and energy routes keep getting scrambled by war and sanctions. So even a cautious working relationship with Ankara has value for New Delhi. And for Turkey, India is a large market, a diplomatic heavyweight, and a country you do not want to leave entirely to your rivals. (mea.gov.in) That last point is partly inference — but it fits the pattern of both countries widening their options. ### Did the two sides suddenly agree on Kashmir? No — and that is the key to understanding this story. They are not solving the dispute. They are compartmentalizing it. Basically, both governments seem to be saying: we still disagree on Pakistan and Kashmir, but we do not need every disagreement to poison trade, tourism, and official contact. That is a very old diplomatic trick, but it only works if both sides think the practical upside is worth the domestic criticism. (middleeasteye.net) ### What are the limits of this reset? The limits are real. Turkey’s political ties with Pakistan are deep, and India’s sensitivity on Kashmir is absolute. If Ankara again foregrounds Kashmir at a high-profile forum, or if a new India-Pakistan crisis erupts, this thaw could stall fast. The relationship is being rebuilt on a narrow foundation — useful cooperation, not renewed trust. (business-standard.com) ### So what is the bigger lesson? Middle powers do this all the time now. They separate symbolic disputes from practical interests when they can. India and Turkey are not becoming strategic partners overnight. But they are showing that even a relationship weighed down by Kashmir can be nudged back into working order if trade, access, and diplomatic flexibility matter enough. (moneycontrol.com) ### Bottom line? This is not a friendship story. It is a pragmatism story. India and Turkey still disagree on one of the most sensitive issues in their relationship, but they have decided that talking — and doing business — is better than letting the whole connection calcify. (mea.gov.in 1) (mea.gov.in 2)