India gives Turkish National Day celebrations in New Delhi a miss

PM Modi with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (File photo/PTI)

In a diplomatic signal reflecting the strain in bilateral relations, the Indian government officials on Wednesday skipped the Turkish National Day celebrations at the country's embassy in New Delhi.

The ties have been strained over Ankara’s pro-Pakistan stance during Operation Sindoor and its repeated criticism of the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

If top government officials are to be believed, instructions were discreetly communicated, advising them to avoid participation in Turkish National Day receptions or celebrations, according to a report by News18.

While no public statement has been released in this regard, the decision reflects continuing strain in India–Turkey ties.

News18 reported that New Delhi will not officially acknowledge the decision, maintaining a deliberate diplomatic silence. However, insiders say the message has been “clear and coordinated” across the foreign and security establishment.

The decision is being viewed as a symbolic snub, underscoring that relations between the two countries remain distant even as India expands its strategic footprint in West Asia through frameworks such as I2U2 (India–Israel–UAE–US) and the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), both of which exclude Turkey.

Earlier in June 2025, Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Cyprus, his first major foreign trip after Operation Sindoor, was seen as a geopolitical message to Turkey. By backing Cyprus’s sovereignty against Turkish claims in Northern Cyprus, Modi signalled India’s willingness to forge alternative alliances and adopt a more assertive posture toward Ankara.