{"id":46601,"date":"2025-05-10T08:52:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T03:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=46601"},"modified":"2025-05-17T23:49:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T18:19:44","slug":"turkey-pakistan-military-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/turkey-pakistan-military-cooperation\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey-Pakistan Military Nexus Raises Alarms for India Amid Drone Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey Pakistan Military Cooperation Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Turkey\u2019s Interests in Pakistan<\/li>\n<li>Pakistan\u2019s Interests in Turkey<\/li>\n<li>Turkey\u2013Pakistan Relationship and India<\/li>\n<li>Turkey Pakistan Military Cooperation FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Turkey Pakistan Military Cooperation Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India thwarted a large-scale drone attack by Pakistan, targeting 36 sites along the western border. Over 300 drones, likely Turkish-made Asisguard Songar models, were used.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The attack raises concerns about Turkey\u2019s growing military support for Pakistan, evidenced by recent Turkish military activity in Karachi. While Turkey denies sending arms, it remains Pakistan\u2019s staunchest ally in West Asia and the only country to condemn India\u2019s Operation Sindoor.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In contrast, India has developed strong relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who have shown neutrality and greater alignment with India on regional issues, including Kashmir.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Turkey\u2019s Interests in Pakistan<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Historical and Ideological Bond<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Shared Islamic identity has historically underpinned the Turkey\u2013Pakistan relationship.<\/li>\n<li>During the <strong>Cold War<\/strong>, both were part of Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) and the Regional Cooperation Development (RCD).<\/li>\n<li>Pakistan supported Turkey in the Cyprus conflicts (1964, 1971) and pledged early recognition of Turkish Cyprus in 1983.<\/li>\n<li>The rise of <strong>Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan<\/strong> and his <strong>political Islamism<\/strong> deepened the ideological alignment with Pakistan post-2000.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>High-Level Political Engagement<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Erdo\u011fan has visited Pakistan at least <strong>10 times<\/strong> since 2003.<\/li>\n<li>He co-chaired the <strong>7th Pakistan-T\u00fcrkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council<\/strong> in February 2025, reflecting close bilateral ties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strategic Balancing Against Gulf Powers<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey, alongside Qatar, competes with Saudi Arabia and the UAE for influence in the Muslim world.<\/li>\n<li>It seeks alternative alliances with non-Gulf states like Pakistan and Malaysia.<\/li>\n<li>The 2019 Kuala Lumpur Summit, supported by Pakistan and Turkey, was viewed as an attempt to challenge Saudi leadership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Engagement<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey is expanding its presence in the IOR:\n<ul>\n<li>Established its largest overseas military base in Somalia (2017).<\/li>\n<li>Sold Baykar TB2 drones to Maldives (2024).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Turkey has held numerous naval exercises with Pakistan\u2019s Navy, the second-largest in the IOR, while avoiding similar engagement with India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Pakistan\u2019s Interests in Turkey<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Diplomatic Support on Kashmir<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey has consistently supported Pakistan\u2019s stance on Kashmir.<\/li>\n<li>In February 2025, President Erdo\u011fan reiterated solidarity with \u201cKashmiri brothers,\u201d prompting a diplomatic protest from India.<\/li>\n<li>Pakistan acknowledges Turkey, along with China and Azerbaijan, as its key international supporters during crises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deepening Defence Cooperation<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey has become Pakistan\u2019s second-largest arms supplier (after China) as of 2020.<\/li>\n<li>Defence ties trace back to 1988 via the Military Consultative Group framework.<\/li>\n<li>Recent acquisitions from Turkey include:\n<ul>\n<li>Bayraktar drones<\/li>\n<li>Kemankes cruise missiles<\/li>\n<li>Asisguard Songar drones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Naval Modernisation and Strategic Collaboration<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey plays a critical role in modernizing Pakistan\u2019s naval capabilities, in line with Ankara\u2019s Indian Ocean strategy.\n<ul>\n<li>$1 billion deal in 2018 for four advanced corvettes by STM Defence Technologies.<\/li>\n<li>Mid-life upgrades of Agosta 90B submarines by Turkey\u2019s STM \u2014 replacing French firm DCNS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Turkey\u2013Pakistan Relationship and India<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Turkey\u2019s Consistent Support to Pakistan on Kashmir<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Turkey\u2019s repeated support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue has long strained India-Turkey ties.<\/li>\n<li>In 2013, the then Indian Foreign Minister criticized Turkey\u2019s actions, urging it not to forge friendships \u201cat India\u2019s expense.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Turkey\u2019s pro-Pakistan stance continues despite India\u2019s gestures, such as humanitarian aid after the 2023 earthquake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Strategic Counters to the Turkey-Pakistan Nexus<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Eastern Europe: Support to Cyprus and Greece<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India backs the Greece-supported Republic of Cyprus, in opposition to Turkey and Pakistan\u2019s support for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.<\/li>\n<li>Greece reciprocates by supporting India\u2019s stance on Kashmir.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>South Caucasus: Military Alliance with Armenia<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India has become Armenia\u2019s top arms supplier, surpassing even Russia by 2024.<\/li>\n<li>This aligns India against Azerbaijan, which is militarily backed by Turkey and Pakistan.<\/li>\n<li>In 2024, Pakistan signed a $1.6 billion arms deal with Azerbaijan, and held a trilateral summit with Turkey and Azerbaijan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Divergence in Global Strategic Alignments<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Pakistan is increasingly isolated in US foreign policy, with no mention in the 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy, while India featured prominently.<\/li>\n<li>India&#8217;s growing ties with the US reflect its rise as a strategic Indo-Pacific partner, further distancing Islamabad.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Competing Infrastructure Visions<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India\u2019s IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor) bypasses Turkey, weakening Ankara\u2019s historical role as a bridge between Asia and Europe.<\/li>\n<li>Turkey has criticized IMEC and is now pushing its own \u201cIraq Development Road\u201d project as a rival.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Turkey Pakistan Military Cooperation FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> Why is Turkey important to Pakistan\u2019s military strategy?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Turkey supplies advanced drones and naval assets, helping Pakistan modernize defence and counterbalance India\u2019s regional influence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> How has India responded to the Turkey-Pakistan nexus?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> India counters via strategic ties with Greece, Armenia, and Gulf nations, while isolating Turkey from key regional projects.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> What is Turkey\u2019s stance on Kashmir?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Turkey consistently supports Pakistan\u2019s position on Kashmir, drawing strong diplomatic protests from India.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> What drones were used in the recent Pakistan drone attack?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Over 300 Turkish-made Asisguard Songar drones were deployed by Pakistan to target Indian border posts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> Why does Turkey support Pakistan geopolitically?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Shared Islamic identity, ideological alignment, and competition with Gulf powers drive Turkey\u2019s strategic support for Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/operation-sindoor-from-offering-drones-to-solidarity-turkeys-hand-in-pakistans-attacks-9993753\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/expert-explains-the-pakistan-turkey-nexus-and-where-india-stands-9993684\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India faces threat from Turkey-Pakistan military ties after a massive drone attack; bilateral defence cooperation challenges regional balance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46601","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}