Turkish envoy summoned over Erdogan’s Kashmir remarks

India summoned the Turkish ambassador yesterday to lodge a diplomatic protest over President Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks on Kashmir and warned it would have a bearing on bilateral ties.

During a visit to Pakistan last week, Erdogan said the situation in Kashmir was worsening because of sweeping changes New Delhi introduced in the territory and that Turkey stood in solidarity with the people of Kashmir.

India, which considers all of Kashmir an integral part of the country, told Turkish envoy Sakir Ozkan Torunlar that Erdogan’s comments lacked any understanding of the history of the Kashmir dispute, the Indian foreign ministry said. “This recent episode is but one more example of a pattern of Turkey interfering in the internal affairs of other countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.