Aamir Khan finally breaks silence on Erdogan meeting controversy
What's the story
Actor Aamir Khan has addressed the recent controversy surrounding his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The photos of their meeting resurfaced online after Turkey's support for Pakistan during its recent conflict with India.
In an interview with India TV, Khan expressed his disappointment over Turkey's actions and defended his past visit to the country.
Statement
Every Indian has been hurt by that: Khan
Khan said, "Turkey did a very wrong thing, and every Indian has been hurt by that."
He added, "A few years ago, there was an earthquake in Turkey. The Indian government was the first to help them then."
"At that time, even our government didn't know, just like I didn't when I went to meet Erdogan, that they'd do this to us seven years later," he added.
Timeline clarification
Clarification on the photo with Emine Erdogan
Khan clarified that the controversial photo with Erdogan is from his 2017 visit to Turkey.
He also defended a photo with Turkey's first lady Emine Erdogan, which was believed to be from his 2020 trip during the filming of Laal Singh Chaddha.
"Our government was also supporting Turkey at that time," argued Khan, adding that this photo is actually older than 2017.
Boycott support
Khan supports the boycott of Turkey
Khan supported the decision of Indians to boycott Turkey and cancel their travel plans. He said, "They did a very right thing. We shouldn't support Turkey at all."
"They're supporting Pakistan during our conflict despite us having helped them. How is that fair?"
This comes after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in retaliation for the brutal Pahalgam terror attack in April.