Government of India issues travel advisory for Turkey
Indians traveling to Turkey have been advised by the government to exercise caution. On Wednesday, the Indian Embassy in Turkey issued a travel advisory and told them they can contact Indian missions if they need any assistance. This notice came amid prevailing tensions between New Delhi and Ankara after the foreign nation stood by Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. Here are more details.
In the notice, the Embassy said it has been receiving various queries from Indians traveling to Turkey. The "current situation" has worried many, the Indian side added. "Although there have been no reports of the untoward incident in the country so far involving Indian nationals, travelers are requested to exercise utmost caution while traveling to Turkey," the statement read.
Travel Advisory@MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @IndianAmbAnkara @CGI_Istanbul @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/AFkO6tJA0A
— India in Turkey (@IndianEmbassyTR) October 22, 2019
For those who are unaware, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized India in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, infuriating New Delhi. He claimed widespread human rights violations were taking place in Kashmir, ever since Article 370 was revoked and the state put under unprecedented lockdown. Erdogan also criticized the international community for failing to give attention to Kashmiris.
Not only this, but Ankara also lent support to Pakistan during the FATF plenary meeting in Paris last week. Courtesy the support from China, Turkey, and Malaysia, the global watchdog didn't downgrade Pakistan to its blacklist and agreed to keep it in the grey list. These incidents forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cancel his two-day visit to Turkey scheduled for later this month.
Reports have it that India has also decided to cut defense imports from the foreign nation. To note, Turkey's defense ties with Pakistan are deepening. Further, foreign ministry officials have also been directed to go slow on diplomatic relations with Turkey and Malaysia. This latest advisory could hurt Turkey's tourism as between January and July, a record 13,000 Indians visited the nation.
