PM cancels Turkey visit over its Kashmir remarks

October 20, 2019 12:08

The government has cancelled a two-day official visit to Ankara by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the backdrop of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans UNGA speech last month where he criticised Indias move on Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Erdogan raised the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly and also backed Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force meet in Paris, following which India has decided to give the cold shoulder to Turkey.

Modis trip to Ankara would have been his first stand-alone visit to Turkey. He was to have proceeded to Turkey from Saudi Arabia, where he is going on October 27-28 to attend a mega investment summit.

A ministry of external affairs source said the visit was never finalised so there is no question of cancellation.

Modi had last visited Turkey during the G20 in Antalya in 2015. He had held a bilateral with Erdogan in Osaka, on the sidelines of the G20 in June this year. The Turkish leader had paid a two-day visit to India in July 2018.

However, Erdogan's strong backing of Pakistan's position on Kashmir and alleging widespread human rights violations by India during his speech at the UN General Assembly last month has not gone down well with India.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Saina's Royal Breakfast With Sanga, Buttler

Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal caught with Rajasthan Royals' players and support staff.

ED files case against YouTuber Elvish Yadav over snake venom use

The central agency has pressed charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after taking cognisance of a FIR and charge sheet filed by the Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) district police in Uttar Pradesh last month against him and...

BJP Hopes To Taste Success In Samajwadi Party Citadel Mainpuri

The BJP, which won the Samajwadi Party strongholds of Rampur and Azamgarh in 2022 bypolls, hopes to wrest Mainpuri too.

Why Rohit played as 'Impact sub' in KKR defeat...

Playing as an 'Impact sub', Rohit scored just 11 runs off 12 balls during Mumbai Indians' 24-run defeat to KKR. The result has almost put the five-time champions out of the reckoning for a play-offs berth.

Bajaj Finance sinks 8% amid rising NIM pressure

Investors shunned shares of Bajaj Finance on Friday, a day after the non-banking financial company (NBFC) reported a sharp contraction in its net interest margin (NIM) for the March quarter of the financial year 2023-24 (Q4FY24). The...