- By Kamal Kumar
- Sat, 20 Jul 2024 07:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Turkey Blacklisted India: India, on Saturday, dismissed the reports claiming a ban by Turkey on defence exports to New Delhi. Terming the reports 'disinformation at best', the Ministry of External Affairs refuted such claims spread by social media pages and promptly picked up by several media outlets. These reports claimed that Turkish action is in line with its policy of bolstering its relationship with India's arch-rival Pakistan.
Earlier, several media reports claimed that Ankara was unhappy over India ending a USD 2 billion shipbuilding project given to a Turkish firm. The project was allegedly axed in April this year, these reports mentioned.
Meanwhile, an official spokesperson for the external affairs ministry Randhir Jaisawal rejected the claims in a press conference.
"As far as my knowledge is concerned and information is concerned, that information is not good. So I will refer you to please take that question to the Turkish Embassy which can for short give you an answer because it is a post generated in Turkey. To my understanding, to the best of my knowledge, it is disinformation at best," he said.
Turkey Silent Over Issue
The Turkish side did not openly make any remarks or announcements regarding a decision on arms sales to India. However, a senior executive at a Turkish top arms procurement agency is said to have told the lawmakers that the country has refrained from approving any further arms sales to India, the WION reported.
"Due to our political circumstances and our friendship with Pakistan, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not give us positive feedback on exporting any products to India, and consequently, we do not grant any permits to our companies in this regard,” the executive reportedly told Turkish lawmakers.
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India-Turkey Relationships
India's bilateral ties with Turkiye or Turkey witnessed a steady decline over the past few years. Turkey's unwavering support of Pakistan's Kashmir agenda on international platforms, India's tilt towards Greece and the Armenia-Azaerbaijan conflict have evolved as some major tension epicentres between the two countries.