Erdogan Revives Kashmir Pitch at UNGA, Urges India-Pakistan Talks
Erdogan told the 81st UN General Assembly that South Asian disputes, including Kashmir, should be settled through dialogue under the UN Charter.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again brought up Kashmir on the global stage, telling the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York that disputes in South Asia should be settled through talks.
Speaking in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Erdogan said all disputes in the region, Kashmir included, ought to be addressed through dialogue and within the framework of the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.
The intervention is the latest in a series of similar references by the Turkish president at the annual gathering of world leaders, reflecting a position Ankara has held for years rather than any new departure in policy.
A recurring theme at the UN
Erdogan has used earlier UNGA addresses to press for a settlement on Kashmir. At the 2025 session, he backed resolving the matter through dialogue and pointed to the India-Pakistan ceasefire.
His comments drew sharp attention in 2019, after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. Addressing the 74th UNGA that September, Erdogan said millions of people in the region were effectively living under restrictions and argued that the international community had paid insufficient attention to the dispute.
That address triggered a strong reaction from New Delhi and marked a downturn in India-Turkey relations.
India's consistent position
India has maintained that outstanding issues with Pakistan must be resolved bilaterally, without any third-party mediation, and has repeatedly pushed back against foreign comments on Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding in 2024 to a China-Pakistan joint statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh "have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India," adding that no other country had the locus standi to comment on the matter.
Earlier this year, India restated that position at the UN, rejecting Pakistan's references to the issue and describing it as a question of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The latest remarks come amid heightened diplomatic activity around India-Pakistan relations following the 2025 military escalation and the ceasefire that followed, keeping Kashmir in focus at the UN once more.