In recent months, many Indians were surprised to see Turkey openly backing Pakistan during periods of heightened tension with India. What made this even more serious was the use of Turkish-made drones by Pakistan in cross-border attacks after incidents like the Pahalgam terror killings.
This was not just diplomatic posturing. Turkey physically moved ships, aircraft and cargo to assist Pakistan. That signals something deeper. This is not emotional solidarity. It is strategy.
To understand what is happening, you have to zoom out and look at Turkey’s long-term geopolitical ambitions and India’s principled foreign policy positions.
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Turkey’s Strategic Shift Under Erdogan
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has moved away from being a quiet NATO partner into a country trying to lead the Islamic world.
Turkey today is
• Less secular
• More Islamist
• More anti-West
• More assertive in global conflicts
Erdoğan wants Turkey to be the political and ideological centre of the Muslim world, similar to what the Ottoman Caliphate once was. To do this, Turkey needs powerful allies.
Pakistan fits that role perfectly.
Why Pakistan Matters to Turkey
Pakistan is not just another Muslim country. It has one thing Turkey desperately wants.
Nuclear weapons and missile technology
Turkey has no nuclear bomb. Iran is trying but is not there yet. Pakistan already has it.
So Turkey and Pakistan have built a quiet but deep strategic partnership that includes
• Defence production
• Drone technology
• Intelligence sharing
• Nuclear ambition alignment
This is why Pakistan uses Turkish drones in attacks on India.
It is not charity. It is an exchange of power.
India’s Stands That Anger Turkey
India has taken several positions that directly hurt Turkish interests.
1. Cyprus Issue
India supports the Republic of Cyprus and does not recognise Turkey’s occupation of Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus also supports India’s UN Security Council permanent seat.
This makes India an obstacle to Turkish ambitions in the Mediterranean.
2. Armenia vs Azerbaijan
Turkey strongly supports Azerbaijan.
India has moved closer to Armenia, supplying missile systems and defence equipment.
This directly challenges the Turkey-Azerbaijan axis.
3. Kurdish Issue
Turkey fights the Kurds inside its territory.
India has taken a neutral but human-rights focused stand, even maintaining relations with Kurdish regions in Iraq.
Turkey sees this as indirect support for separatism.
4. Armenian Genocide
Turkey denies that the Armenian genocide happened.
India officially avoided the term earlier, but in 2021 India’s Ambassador to Armenia publicly honoured Armenian genocide victims.
For Turkey, this is a red line.
5. Kashmir
Because India does not support Turkey on Cyprus, Kurds, Armenia and genocide recognition,
Turkey retaliates by supporting Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir.
It is a diplomatic trade-off.
The Three Brothers Axis
Turkey, Pakistan and Azerbaijan now operate as a bloc called the Three Brothers.
They support each other on
• Kashmir
• Armenia
• Cyprus
• Muslim world leadership
• Strategic military cooperation
This is why Turkey is willing to openly challenge India even at the cost of economic or diplomatic damage.
The G20 Trade Corridor Shock
At the G20, India backed a major India-Middle East-Europe trade corridor that bypasses Turkey.
This would weaken Turkey’s role as a trade gateway between Asia and Europe.
For Ankara, this was a strategic insult.
What This Means for India
Turkey’s support to Pakistan is not emotional or religious.
It is driven by
• Nuclear ambition
• Islamic leadership goals
• Anger over Cyprus, Armenia, Kurds and genocide
• Fear of losing regional power
• Economic competition
India, by sticking to international law, human rights and territorial integrity, has collided with Turkey’s revisionist ambitions.
That is why Turkey now openly supports Pakistan against India.
This is not temporary. It is structural.
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