‘Will continue to support Pakistan in good times and bad,’ says Turkish President Erdogan amid boycott calls in India

Amid growing calls across India to boycott Turkey and Azerbaijan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again expressed strong support for Pakistan. Referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as his “dear brother”, Erdogan pledged continued solidarity, saying Turkey would stand by Pakistan “in good times and bad”.

His remarks came in response to a post by Sharif, who thanked Turkey for its backing after India’s Operation Sindoor, a counter-terror operation launched following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, allegedly backed by Pakistan.

Erdogan described the Turkey-Pakistan bond as “one of the finest examples of true friendship”, ending his post on X (formerly Twitter) with: “Long live Pakistan-Turkey friendship!”


Turkey and Azerbaijan have both faced backlash in India for siding with Pakistan instead of condemning terrorism, a stance that has deeply angered Indian citizens.

Tensions escalated when Indian Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi revealed that the drones used by Pakistan in cross-border strikes were of Turkish origin.

Preliminary findings identified them as Asisguard Songar models, raising concerns over Turkey’s direct military support to Pakistan.

In response, many Indians have taken to social media, calling for a full boycott of Turkish and Azerbaijani goods and tourism.

Hashtags such as #BoycottTurkey and #BoycottAzerbaijan have continued to trend, with political leaders, citizens, and right-wing groups lending their voices to the movement.

Major travel companies have joined in. MakeMyTrip has advised against non-essential travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan. EaseMyTrip’s founder has also urged Indians to stop buying Chinese products. Ixigo has suspended all bookings to Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China, while Cleartrip reported a 260% rise in cancellations to these countries within a week.

Azerbaijan, like Turkey, is now facing intense scrutiny for aligning with Pakistan amid rising tensions. Many Indians are questioning the roles of both countries in indirectly supporting terrorism, a sentiment that is rapidly fuelling the growing boycott movement.