‘Avoid reacting emotionally’: Ex-envoy urges calibrated response to Turkey’s pro-Pakistan tilt

Even as public anger in India grows over Turkey’s increasing alignment with Pakistan—particularly following the use of Turkish drones by Pakistan against India after Operation Sindoor—former Indian envoy to Turkey Sanjay Bhattacharyya has cautioned against hasty decisions such as boycotts or cutting ties. He believes a calibrated, diplomatic response is in India’s best interest.“Even if we were to stop all tourist traffic to Turkey, the impact on the Turkish economy would be very minimal,” Bhattacharyya said. “It would probably have a greater sentimental value, sending a message to the Turks about how deeply we feel about the issue.” He stressed the need to step up diplomatic efforts rather than react emotionally.
Bhattacharyya warned that India must avoid viewing Turkey solely through the “Pakistan lens.” While Turkey has increasingly adopted a pro-Pakistan stance under President Erdogan, he said India must maintain strategic clarity and not fall into the same trap. “Turkey’s problem has been that it looks at India through the lens of Pakistan. We should avoid making the same mistake,” he noted.
He advised that India’s official response should be guided by national priorities and long-term interests, especially given its aspirations of becoming a major global economy. “What we do should be based on careful evaluation. It should not be reactive.”Bhattacharyya also highlighted that India-Turkey trade ties are more substantial than often assumed, amounting to over $10 billion in 2024. “There’s a huge technology component in this collaboration… Turkish companies play a very important role in India’s development path,” he said, referring to Turkey’s involvement in infrastructure sectors like metros and tunnelling.

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At the same time, he acknowledged that public outrage in India is understandable given recent developments, including Erdogan’s strong pro-Pakistan rhetoric. “The kind of angst we have among our people, the public outrage, is not unexpected,” he said. Erdogan’s statements following the Pahalgam terror attack, and Turkey’s condemnation of India’s retaliatory strike, “went even further than what China did,” he added.

The shift in Turkey’s stance—from a relatively balanced position in the past to one closely aligned with Pakistan—has happened gradually, Bhattacharyya observed. This growing ideological and political proximity under Erdogan has not been widely known to the Indian public until recently.

“People have always thought that Turkey was perhaps a relatively friendly country, but I think this has changed very much in recent times,” he said.

As calls grow louder in India to reconsider economic and diplomatic ties with Turkey, Bhattacharyya’s message is clear—India must weigh its options carefully and respond in a way that serves its national interest, not just its national sentiment.

Watch the accompanying video for the full conversation.