India, on Friday, strongly dismissed Azerbaijan’s recent accusations that New Delhi blocked its bid for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, noted that the issue is still under deliberation.
“Due to time constraints, a decision on the issue could not be taken by member states in Tianjin. The matter continues to be under consideration,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.
Earlier this week, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev alleged that India acted against Baku’s SCO application to punish it for its close alliance with Pakistan.
It should be mentioned here that During a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Tianjin summit in China, Aliyev hailed Islamabad’s “victory” over India and vowed to prioritise the two nations’ “brotherhood.”
Azerbaijani media outlets have claimed that New Delhi’s stance breached the SCO’s founding principle, the “Shanghai Spirit”, which discourages bilateral disputes from influencing multilateral forums.
Cross-border tensions flared up between India and Pakistan this May when Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, striking nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26.
While most countries remained neutral, Azerbaijan condemned India’s cross-border strikes, expressing solidarity with Pakistan and calling for restraint. Turkey and China also backed Islamabad.
In fact, Baku’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs even issued condolences to Pakistani victims, deepening its alignment with Islamabad.
Azerbaijan’s stance did not sit well with India. It quickly sparked a nationwide outrage, with social media users calling for boycotts of both Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Major travel platforms, including EaseMyTrip, Ixigo, and MakeMyTrip, also suspended bookings and packages, leading to mass cancellations.
The impact has been stark -- India had become Azerbaijan’s fourth-largest tourist source after Russia, Turkiye, and Iran.
Indian arrivals grew from just 4,853 in 2014 to nearly 2.44 lakh in 2024, accounting for 10 percent of all visitors. Between January and April 2025 alone, over 80,000 Indians travelled to Baku.
With each tourist spending an estimated Rs 1-1.3 lakh per trip, the sudden dip has dampened Azerbaijan’s booming travel sector at a time it was banking on South Asian inflows.
While Baku accuses New Delhi of politicising the SCO, India insists the membership question remains unresolved.
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