Turkey bolsters ties with Pakistan during and after India conflict

ADNAN AAMIR

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s renewed conflict with India over the past several weeks has underscored its strong bond with Turkey, as the two Muslim-majority nations boost ties over weapons procurement that could damage Ankara’s relations with New Delhi.

Turkey, along with China and Azerbaijan, was one of the few countries that openly sided with Pakistan during the country’s heightened four-day conflict with India that lasted till May 10, when a ceasefire deal was announced, easing fears of a full-fledged war. The cross-border fighting left 51 dead on the Pakistani side and at least 16 killed on the Indian side.

“We appreciate the sensible, patient policy of the Pakistani state, which prioritizes dialogue and compromise in resolving disputes,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday in a post on X. “We will continue to be by your side in good and bad times, as we have in the past and in the future.”

With India and Pakistan escalating their crisis to nearly a war this month, Pakistan and Turkey appear to have doubled down on relations, especially in the arms trade and as geopolitical partners.

During a phone call with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on May 7, the same day that India launched missile strikes inside Pakistan against what New Delhi called “terrorist infrastructure,” Erdogan said his country “supports the calm and restrained policy pursued by Pakistan,” according to a statement issued by the Turkish government on the day.

“Turkey stands ready to do its utmost to prevent the tension from escalating,” Erdogan added.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, right, greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcome ceremony in Islamabad on Feb. 13. (Press Information Department of Pakistan)

Sharif has also lauded the Turkish leader. On Tuesday, the prime minister on X called Erdogan “my dear brother” and thanked the Turkish leader for “his strong expression of support and unwavering solidarity with Pakistan.”

Turkish military hardware assisted Pakistan’s military operations against India at the height of the clashes.

Pakistan launched 300 to 400 drones toward 36 sites in India on May 9 and May 10. Most were Songar military drones made by Turkish manufacturer Asisguard, according to the Indian Defence Ministry.

Analysts said Pakistan has made use of Turkish-made drones for its military.

“YIHA-3 kamikaze drone made jointly by Turkish defense firm Baykar and National Aerospace Technology Park of Pakistan, and the Songar drone developed by Turkish firm Asisguard were used,” Umer Karim, a researcher at the University of Birmingham, told Nikkei Asia.

“If the conflict had progressed, we might have seen TB2 and Akinci — advanced drones — in strike roles against India’s land troops and defense installations,” Karim added.

A Turkish Bayraktar Akinci combat drone is pictured at Saha Expo Defence & Aerospace Exhibition in Istanbul in October 2022.   © Reuters

Pakistan is also a key arms export market for Turkey.

Umair Pervez Khan, an Islamabad-based analyst, said the MILGEM Corvette naval ship deal is an example strengthening defense ties. “[MILGEM] involves the transfer of technology, intellectual property rights, and construction of four corvettes — two in Turkey and two in Pakistan,” he said.

“Pakistan and Turkey are also jointly upgrading Pakistan’s F-16 fleet and Agosta 90B submarines,” Khan added.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Turkey is the third-largest arms supplier to Pakistan after China and the Netherlands.

Gloria Shkurti Ozdemir, a researcher at SETA Foundation, a think tank in Ankara, said Turkish drone deployment by Pakistan has a symbolic value.

“It demonstrates Pakistan’s confidence in Turkish technology, while reinforcing Turkey’s emergence as a reliable defense partner outside NATO frameworks [for Pakistan],” she said.

Meanwhile, anger is growing in India against Turkey for supporting its nuclear-armed rival.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are pictured in New Delhi in May 2017.   © Reuters

According to Indian media reports, the right-wing, Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or National Volunteers Organization, that backs the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, this week called for the government hit Turkey with economic sanctions.

A Reuters report also suggested that many Indian travelers cancelled holiday bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan since these countries expressed support of Pakistan.

Analysts said Turkey will likely continue to stand by Pakistan even at the risk of diplomatic friction with New Delhi.

“Owing to ideological and political issues and the relatively small degree of trade with India, a smaller number of Indian tourists, and the high degree of competition within the Indian defense sector as compared to Pakistan, Turkey is fine to put all its eggs in Pakistan’s basket,” said Karim.

Pakistan, on its part, “supports Turkey on sensitive issues like that of Cyprus and Armenia,” said Khan, stressing that Ankara also has a political reason to side with Islamabad.

There are also geopolitical factors behind Turkey’s continued support of Pakistan.

Karim said Pakistan “serves as a dependable ally [for Turkey] with regard to Turkey’s own Indo-Pacific ambitions, both in politics and trade, particularly with Indonesia and Malaysia.”

Ozdemir agreed. The close relationship with Pakistan “offers Turkey a valuable partner in South Asia and a potential gateway to broader engagement in Indian Ocean affairs,” she said.

The article appeared in the  asia.nikkei