India Rejects Turkey's Kashmir Remarks at UNGA as 'Unwarranted'
India rejected Turkish President Erdogan's UNGA reference to Kashmir, saying no outside party has any locus standi on the issue.
India on Tuesday rejected references to Jammu and Kashmir made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, describing them as unwarranted and reiterating that the matter concerns India's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The response came during the Ministry of External Affairs' biweekly media briefing, where spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked to comment on Mr. Erdogan's remarks. In his UNGA address, the Turkish President had said that all disputes in South Asia, including the Kashmir issue, should be resolved through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations Charter.
"India rejects unwarranted references to India and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir made by the President of Turkiye during his UNGA address," Mr. Jaiswal said.
He added that the subject relates to India's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that no external party has any locus standi on it. New Delhi has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is, was and will remain an integral part of India.
The exchange marks another instance of India pushing back against third-party commentary on the region, with the government holding that the issue is strictly internal and not open to external mediation.