India-Turkey relations are the diplomatic, economic and cultural ties between the Republic of India and the Republic of Turkey (Turkiye), which have existed since the late 1940s and combine steady trade and tourism with recurring political friction. Both countries are members of the G20 and have significant trade, but their positions have diverged on issues such as Kashmir and Turkey’s closeness to Pakistan.
The relationship is therefore two-sided: it includes economic cooperation, tourism, cultural links and humanitarian assistance, alongside disagreements that have grown more visible in recent years. India has also expanded its outreach to Cyprus, Greece and Armenia. This explainer sets out both the cooperation and the frictions in a factual and balanced way. Last updated: 15 October 2026.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic relations established | 1948 |
| Capitals | New Delhi (India) and Ankara (Turkey) |
| Common memberships | G20, United Nations, and several multilateral forums |
| Turkey’s alliances | NATO member; customs union with the European Union |
| Trade pattern | Several billion US dollars a year, generally in India’s favour |
| Main Indian exports | Refined petroleum, vehicles and parts, pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals |
| Main Turkish exports to India | Marble, minerals, chemicals, metals and machinery |
| Major disagreements | Kashmir statements, Turkey-Pakistan ties, regional alignments |
| Humanitarian cooperation | Operation Dost, India’s relief mission after the 2023 earthquake |
Key Takeaways
- India and Turkey established diplomatic relations in 1948, and both countries are members of the G20 and the United Nations.
- Trade between India and Turkey is worth several billion US dollars a year and has generally run in India’s favour, with India exporting fuels, vehicles, pharmaceuticals and textiles.
- India sent relief teams, supplies and a field hospital to Turkey under Operation Dost after the devastating earthquake of February 2023.
- Turkey has repeatedly commented on Kashmir in international forums, and India has rejected those comments as interference in its internal affairs.
- Turkey maintains close political and defence ties with Pakistan, which India cites as a major reason for strain in the relationship.
- India has expanded ties with Cyprus, Greece and Armenia, partly as part of its broader outreach to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus.
What are India-Turkey relations?
India-Turkey relations are the bilateral ties between two large Asian-European powers that are connected by trade, tourism and history but separated on several strategic questions. Turkey sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, while India is South Asia’s largest economy and a major emerging power.
The two countries cooperate in multilateral settings such as the G20 and the UN, and they have regular political consultations at several levels. At the same time, Turkey’s foreign policy has increasingly emphasised its relations with the Muslim-majority world and its partnership with Pakistan, while India’s foreign policy has built ties with Turkey’s regional rivals. As a result, the relationship tends to be described as cooperative in economics and culture but cautious or strained in politics and security.
How did India-Turkey relations develop historically?
India-Turkey relations developed historically through centuries of cultural and political contact, which later gave way to formal diplomacy in 1948 after Indian independence and the founding of the Turkish Republic. Turkic dynasties ruled parts of northern India, and the Mughal court absorbed many Persian and Turkic cultural influences.
Important historical points include:
- Early twentieth century: Indian Muslims and others supported the Ottoman Empire during the Balkan wars, and Indian volunteers sent a medical mission to Turkey in 1912.
- Khilafat Movement (1919-1924): Indian leaders campaigned in support of the Ottoman Caliphate, linking the Indian national movement with events in Turkey.
- Republic of Turkey: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s reforms were observed with interest in India.
- 1948: India and Turkey established diplomatic relations soon after independence.
During the Cold War, India followed non-alignment while Turkey joined NATO in 1952, which put the two on different sides of the strategic divide even though ties remained correct.
How strong is trade between India and Turkey?
Trade between India and Turkey is moderately strong, running to several billion US dollars a year, and it has usually favoured India. The balance reflects India’s larger exports of manufactured goods and fuels to Turkey compared with Turkish exports to India.
| Direction | Typical goods |
|---|---|
| India to Turkey | Refined petroleum products, automobiles and parts, pharmaceuticals, cotton and textiles, organic chemicals, machinery |
| Turkey to India | Marble and stone, mineral products, chemicals, iron and steel products, machinery, some agricultural products |
Turkey is an important supplier of marble to Indian construction and interior markets. Indian pharmaceutical, automotive and IT companies have a presence in Turkey, and some Turkish firms operate in infrastructure and construction in India. The two sides have mechanisms such as a joint economic and trade committee to discuss market access and investment. Because Turkey is in a customs union with the EU, its tariff structure for many goods is linked to European rules, which affects Indian exporters.
What diplomatic mechanisms connect India and Turkey?
The main diplomatic mechanisms connecting India and Turkey are embassies in New Delhi and Ankara, consulates in cities such as Mumbai and Istanbul, periodic foreign office consultations, joint working groups on trade and a joint economic and trade committee. These channels allow both governments to talk even when political differences arise.
High-level contact has occurred mainly on the sidelines of multilateral summits and through occasional bilateral visits. India’s Prime Minister attended the G20 summit hosted by Turkey at Antalya in 2015, and the Turkish President paid a visit to India in 2017. Turkey was also represented at the G20 summit hosted by India in New Delhi in 2023. The two countries also cooperate within the United Nations system, the G20 and other global forums, where they sometimes share positions on issues such as climate finance, development and reform of global financial institutions. However, the number of bilateral ministerial visits has been modest in comparison with India’s ties with many other countries, and discussions on sensitive subjects are usually handled through diplomatic statements rather than joint declarations.
What other areas of economic and people-to-people cooperation exist?
Other areas of cooperation between India and Turkey include tourism, aviation, education, film and television, and cultural exchange. Turkey is a popular destination for Indian travellers, honeymooners and film crews, and Indian tourists have been among the larger groups of visitors from South Asia.
- Tourism: places such as Istanbul, Cappadocia and Antalya attract Indian visitors, supported by direct flights between Indian and Turkish cities and an electronic visa system.
- Aviation: Turkish Airlines connects several Indian cities to Istanbul, which acts as a connecting hub to Europe, North America and Africa.
- Culture and media: Bollywood films have been shot in Turkey, and Turkish television series have found audiences in South Asia.
- Education: some Indian students study medicine and other subjects in Turkey, and there are limited academic exchanges.
- Heritage: shared Persianate and Islamic architectural heritage, including Sufi traditions, provides cultural common ground.
What happened during the 2023 Turkey earthquake and Operation Dost?
Operation Dost was India’s disaster relief mission to Turkey and Syria after the major earthquake of 6 February 2023, in which India sent search and rescue teams, medical staff, equipment and relief material. It is widely cited as an example of humanitarian cooperation between the two countries despite political disagreements.
The mission included teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a field hospital run by the Indian Army and large amounts of medicines and supplies carried by Indian Air Force aircraft. Turkish officials expressed thanks for the assistance. The episode showed that humanitarian cooperation can continue even when strategic positions differ. Such moments allow both countries to emphasise goodwill, even if they do not change the underlying political positions.
Why is Kashmir a source of friction between India and Turkey?
Kashmir is a source of friction between India and Turkey because Turkish leaders have referred to the Kashmir dispute in forums such as the United Nations General Assembly, expressing support for a resolution in line with international resolutions and dialogue, and India regards Kashmir as an integral part of its territory and an internal matter.
India’s position is that comments by third countries amount to interference, and its Ministry of External Affairs has responded sharply on several occasions. Turkey’s position is that it favours dialogue and peaceful resolution, and that its statements reflect its general support for Pakistan and for the Muslim world. The issue has also come up in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), where Turkey has aligned with Pakistan’s views. These differences have affected the political tone of the relationship, and high-level visits have been less frequent than in India’s ties with many other countries.
How do Turkey’s ties with Pakistan affect the relationship?
Turkey’s ties with Pakistan affect India-Turkey relations because the two Muslim-majority states have a close political, military and cultural relationship, and India views Turkish support for Pakistan as unhelpful to Indian security interests. Turkey and Pakistan hold regular joint exercises, cooperate on defence production and describe their relationship in fraternal terms.
Turkey’s defence industry has supplied Pakistan with equipment, and Turkish support during periods of India-Pakistan tension has drawn criticism in India. In 2025, following a military exchange between India and Pakistan, Turkish statements in support of Pakistan led to public backlash in India, calls by some groups to avoid travel and trade with Turkey, and regulatory scrutiny of some Turkish-linked businesses in India. Turkish officials have said that they support peace and dialogue. These episodes show how political events can quickly affect the economic and tourism relationship.
Why is India reaching out to Cyprus, Greece and Armenia?
India is reaching out to Cyprus, Greece and Armenia as part of a broader strategy to deepen ties in the Eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus, regions where Turkey is also a major actor. The outreach covers defence, trade, connectivity and diplomacy and is based on India’s own interests, though it is often interpreted in the context of its relations with Turkey.
- Cyprus: India recognises the Republic of Cyprus and supports a settlement in line with UN resolutions; the Indian Prime Minister visited Cyprus in 2025, the first such visit in more than two decades. Turkey recognises only the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
- Greece: India and Greece upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership in 2023, and leaders have exchanged visits.
- Armenia: India has supplied defence equipment to Armenia and supports its sovereignty, while Turkey is close to Azerbaijan.
- Connectivity: the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced in 2023, proposes a route that passes through the Gulf and Israel to Greece and Europe, bypassing Turkey.
Turkey has criticised some of these arrangements, and it regards the Eastern Mediterranean as an area of its own strategic interest.
India’s own explanation is that these partnerships are not directed at any third country. New Delhi describes them as part of a wider effort to diversify its partnerships across Europe and the Mediterranean, to secure trade routes and to cooperate in areas such as defence, shipping, agriculture and technology. Observers note that, in practice, the timing and content of the outreach have been shaped by the state of relations with Turkey and Pakistan, and that Turkey has built its own network of partners, including Azerbaijan and Pakistan, in response.
What does the future hold for India-Turkey relations?
The future of India-Turkey relations is likely to remain mixed, with economic and people-to-people links continuing alongside political differences on Kashmir and regional alignments. Much will depend on how each side manages sensitive issues and on the broader state of India-Pakistan relations.
Several factors may shape the path ahead. Trade and tourism are mutually beneficial and create a constituency for stability. Multilateral platforms such as the G20 offer regular contact. At the same time, strategic competition in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus and the Indian Ocean region could deepen divergence. A pragmatic approach, in which each side separates areas of cooperation from areas of disagreement, would allow the relationship to function even when politics is tense.
Bottom Line
India-Turkey relations are a balanced mix of real cooperation and real disagreement: trade, tourism and humanitarian help on one side, and disputes over Kashmir, Pakistan and regional alignments on the other. Both countries have reasons to keep economic channels open, even as their strategic outlooks differ.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did India and Turkey establish diplomatic relations?
India and Turkey established diplomatic relations in 1948, soon after Indian independence. Their embassies are in New Delhi and Ankara, and each has consulates in major cities.
How much trade is there between India and Turkey?
Trade between India and Turkey is worth several billion US dollars a year and has generally favoured India. India exports refined petroleum, vehicles, pharmaceuticals and textiles, while Turkey exports marble, minerals, chemicals and metals.
Why are India and Turkey in disagreement?
India and Turkey disagree mainly because Turkey has commented on Kashmir and has close ties with Pakistan, while India regards Kashmir as an internal matter. These differences have affected political relations without ending trade or tourism.
What was Operation Dost?
Operation Dost was India’s humanitarian relief mission after the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria. India sent rescue teams, a field hospital and relief supplies, and Turkey expressed gratitude for the help.
Why is India building ties with Cyprus, Greece and Armenia?
India is building ties with Cyprus, Greece and Armenia to expand its trade, defence and diplomatic links in the Eastern Mediterranean and Caucasus. The relationships serve India’s own interests, though they are often seen against the background of its difficult relationship with Turkey.
Do Indians travel to Turkey?
Yes, Turkey has been a popular destination for Indian tourists, with Istanbul, Cappadocia and Antalya among the favourites, helped by direct flights and an e-visa. Travel patterns can change when political tensions rise.
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