India — Turkey Bilateral Relations
International relations between Turkey and India were established long back in 1948, with political and bilateral relations largely being characterized by warmth and cordiality. However, During the ensuing four decades, the two countries could not develop a close partnership. Indeed, Turkey-India relations experienced periodical tension, largely for two reasons. The first source of tension was Turkey’s pro-Pakistan position on the Kashmir issue. The second was the differing Cold War strategic orientations, symbolized by Turkey’s membership in NATO and the Baghdad Pact, which went against India’s non-aligned posture and friendliness toward the Soviet Union. Despite the sporadic tensions, Turkey-India relations seemed poised for headway on multiple fronts.
India’s economic engagement with Turkey has gained momentum in recent years. Both the countries are members of the G20 group of major economies, where the two countries have closely cooperated on the management of the world economy. This economic and commercial cooperation constitutes an important dimension of the bilateral relationship. With the actuation of economic reforms in both the countries and by the exchange of visits of leaders of both countries in recent times, Bilateral relations have been reinforced. The Bilateral Trade Agreement between India and Turkey was signed in 1973. Institutional arrangements in terms of the Joint Committee for Economic and Technical Cooperation (JCETC) signed in 1983 and a Joint Business Council (JBC) between the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) was set up in 1996.
Source: TurkStat
Turkey’s geopolitical significance cannot be neglected as well, located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, it is geopolitically an important player in a volatile region, and as a hub for third country exports acts as a stepping stone into the European Union market
Bilateral trade grew 22% to cross US$ 8.6 billion in 2018. More than 150 companies with Indian capital have registered businesses in Turkey in the form of joint ventures, trade, and representative offices. Indian companies such as TAFE, Mahindra, Sonalika, Tata, Jindal, Indo-Rama, Birla Cellulose, Polyplex Merrill Lynch, Punj Lloyd, Thermax, Wipro, Jain Irrigation, etc. have invested in Turkey to the tune of USD 125 million while Turkish investments in India stands at USD 223 million
While The major Indian exports to Turkey include: petroleum products, auto components/parts, man-made yarn, fabrics, made-ups, aircraft & spacecraft parts, plastic raw materials, organic chemicals, dyes, industrial machinery, India ranked 6 in Turkey’s overall imports in 2018 Imports from Turkey include: industrial machinery, broken/unbroken poppy seeds; machinery and mechanical appliances, iron and steel articles thereof, inorganic chemicals, pearls and precious/semi-precious stones and metals granite and marble, etc.
As the cultural and economic paradigm is changing around the world, cultural ties between Turkey and India have gained more importance. India and Turkey also share a cultural and historical overlap. Cultural exchanges have grown in recent years, especially after the revival of CEP in 2017. Cultural performances, film shows, exhibitions, seminars, outreach to universities are being organized regularly. The Turkic impact on India in areas such as language, culture and civilization, art and architecture, and costumes and cuisine are also considerable.
Indo-Turkish bilateral relations had their foundation in the Nehru-Pasha romanticism for a shared future. The cold war equation forked it in different directions before they made advancement during the 1980s and 1990s. Now, they are diverging again. Both the nations need to optimize this potential for multifaceted cooperation across a wide spectrum of industries ranging from trade and investment to defense and high technology. A new era of engagement awaits for both nations awaits.
