Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again raked up the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan during his address to world leaders at the high-level 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Tuesday. In September last year, he called for a resolution on Kashmir at the same forum.

This comes just weeks after Turkey entered into the Mecca pact along with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The remarks came in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and marked another instance of Erdogan using the platform to raise the Kashmir issue despite India’s repeated objections to third-party involvement.

“In South Asia, it is important that all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, be addressed through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations Charter and of relevant resolutions,” Erdogan said in his address.

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He spoke extensively about the issue in 2019 after India abrogated Article 370, and also raised Kashmir at the UNGA in 2021. In 2020, Erdogan referred to Jammu and Kashmir in his pre-recorded video statement to the General Debate. In 2024, however, Erdogan did not mention Jammu and Kashmir in his UNGA speech.

New Delhi had at that time termed it as “completely unacceptable”, saying Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.

India-Turkey ties had also come under strain following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Erdogan had expressed solidarity with Pakistan and called for de-escalation.

New Delhi’s position has consistently been that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that issues with Pakistan should be addressed bilaterally. India also cited the 1972 Shimla Agreement, under which the two countries committed to resolving differences through peaceful means and bilateral negotiations.