'India must raise Turkey's occupation of...': Ex-foreign Secy after Erdogan raises Kashmir at UNGA
'The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of resolutions of the UN for the best for our brothers and sisters in Kashmir, through dialogue, we hope,' Erdogan said at the UNGA
- Sep 24, 2025,
- Updated Sep 24, 2025 5:57 PM IST
Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal on Wednesday hit out at Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for raising the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), calling it a "serious provocation."
"This is serious provocation," Sibal wrote on X. "Erdogan is now calling for a resolution of the Kashmir issue based on UN resolutions. How are the Kashmiri his sisters and brothers? Extending his Muslim Brotherhood affiliations to Indian territory."
"We will miss an opportunity if we did not in our UN speech refer to Turkey’s illegal occupation of Northern Cyprus and Syrian territory and atrocities against the Kurdish population," the former foreign secretary said.
Erdogan, in his address to the UNGA’s General Debate, referred to the ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the clashes earlier this year. He said Turkey was "pleased" with the truce and stressed the importance of dialogue.
"The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of resolutions of the UN for the best for our brothers and sisters in Kashmir, through dialogue, we hope," Erdogan said. "In South Asia, we consider the preservation of peace and stability to be of utmost importance. We are pleased with the ceasefire achieved following the tensions last April between Pakistan and India, the tension which had escalated into a conflict."
In May, India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The four-day operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territory and ended with an understanding on halting military action. During the clashes, Turkey publicly supported Pakistan.
Erdogan has repeatedly raised Kashmir in his annual UNGA remarks in recent years, drawing sharp responses from India.
In June, just a month after the conflict and Turkey's support for Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Cyprus. His choice of Cyprus as the first destination after the clash carried geopolitical weight, which was seen as a message to Turkey.
Cyprus has a running conflict with Turkey. During his visit, Modi travelled to view the mountains near Nicosia - a territory under Turkish occupation since 1974. Cyprus is considered a rival to Turkey due to a decades-long territorial and political conflict after Turkey's 1974 invasion of the island following a Greek-backed coup.
Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal on Wednesday hit out at Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for raising the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), calling it a "serious provocation."
"This is serious provocation," Sibal wrote on X. "Erdogan is now calling for a resolution of the Kashmir issue based on UN resolutions. How are the Kashmiri his sisters and brothers? Extending his Muslim Brotherhood affiliations to Indian territory."
"We will miss an opportunity if we did not in our UN speech refer to Turkey’s illegal occupation of Northern Cyprus and Syrian territory and atrocities against the Kurdish population," the former foreign secretary said.
Erdogan, in his address to the UNGA’s General Debate, referred to the ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the clashes earlier this year. He said Turkey was "pleased" with the truce and stressed the importance of dialogue.
"The issue of Kashmir should be resolved on the basis of resolutions of the UN for the best for our brothers and sisters in Kashmir, through dialogue, we hope," Erdogan said. "In South Asia, we consider the preservation of peace and stability to be of utmost importance. We are pleased with the ceasefire achieved following the tensions last April between Pakistan and India, the tension which had escalated into a conflict."
In May, India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The four-day operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territory and ended with an understanding on halting military action. During the clashes, Turkey publicly supported Pakistan.
Erdogan has repeatedly raised Kashmir in his annual UNGA remarks in recent years, drawing sharp responses from India.
In June, just a month after the conflict and Turkey's support for Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Cyprus. His choice of Cyprus as the first destination after the clash carried geopolitical weight, which was seen as a message to Turkey.
Cyprus has a running conflict with Turkey. During his visit, Modi travelled to view the mountains near Nicosia - a territory under Turkish occupation since 1974. Cyprus is considered a rival to Turkey due to a decades-long territorial and political conflict after Turkey's 1974 invasion of the island following a Greek-backed coup.