India calls Erdogan's Kashmir remarks 'unacceptable', lodges 'strong protest'

Nearly a week after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the issue of Kashmir during his visit to Pakistan, New Delhi on Friday said such "unwarranted" statements on India's territorial integrity and sovereignty were "unacceptable", adding that it has lodged a "strong protest" on the matter with the Turkish ambassador here. "We reject such objectionable comments on matters which are internal to India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a query on Erdogan's remarks.

Jaiswal also reiterated India's position that Jammu and Kashmir "is an integral part of India, it always has been, and it will remain so".

There should be no doubt or confusion on this, the MEA spokesperson said.


"Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. No other country has any locus standi to comment on it. Instead of commenting on internal affairs of another country, it would have been appropriate if Pakistan's policy of using cross-border terrorism against India, which remains the biggest threat for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, had been called out," Jaiswal said.

"We reject such objectionable comments on matters which are internal to India. We have lodged a strong protest with the Turkish ambassador in Delhi. Such unwarranted statements on India's territorial integrity and sovereignty are unacceptable," he added.

During his recent two-day visit to Pakistan last week, Erdogan said, "The Kashmir issue should be addressed according to the UN resolution through dialogue and keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of Kashmir."

"Our state and our nation, as in the past, stands in solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers today," the Turkish president said.