Erdogan urges dialogue on Kashmir at UN General Assembly

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again raised the Kashmir issue during his address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, calling for disputes in South Asia to be resolved through dialogue and within the framework of the UN Charter.“In South Asia, it is important that all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, be addressed through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations Charter and of relevant resolutions,” Erdogan said.The remarks came in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Erdogan's latest intervention marks a continuation of Ankara's repeated references to Kashmir at the UN.Erdogan’s previous references to Kashmir at the UNErdogan has previously used his UNGA addresses to call for a resolution to the Kashmir issue. At the 2025 UN General Assembly, he expressed support for resolving the issue through dialogue and referred to the India-Pakistan ceasefire.2019 remarks triggered sharp India-Turkey tensionsErdogan's comments on Kashmir became particularly contentious after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 in August 2019.At the 74th UN General Assembly that September, Erdogan said millions of people in Kashmir were effectively under restrictions and argued that the international community had not given adequate attention to the dispute.The remarks prompted a strong response from New Delhi and contributed to a deterioration in India-Turkey ties.

India has repeatedly told Ankara that it should respect India's sovereignty and refrain from commenting on matters it considers internal.India rejects third-party mediationNew Delhi's position on Kashmir has remained consistent: any outstanding issues with Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally, without outside mediation.India has also repeatedly rejected references to Jammu and Kashmir in statements issued by other countries.

In a 2024 response to a China-Pakistan joint statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India” and stated that no other country had the locus standi to comment on the issue.India reiterated its position on Jammu and Kashmir at the UN earlier this year, rejecting Pakistan's references to the issue and describing the matter as part of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.Erdogan's Kashmir stance has remained consistentThe Turkish president's latest comments are therefore part of a longstanding position rather than a new shift in Ankara's policy.The latest remarks also come amid heightened diplomatic activity around India-Pakistan relations following the 2025 military escalation and subsequent ceasefire, keeping Kashmir once again in focus at the UN General Assembly.