India rejects Erdogan's UNGA remarks on Kashmir, cites sovereignty

India's Ministry of External Affairs on Monday rejected remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly, saying no external party has locus standi, or legal standing, to comment on India's internal affairs.

The ministry's response, reported by India Today on 29 September 2026, follows Erdogan's mention of the Kashmir dispute in his address to the General Assembly in New York. New Delhi treats Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India and has consistently refused third-party involvement, including from international organisations and foreign leaders. It says any unresolved issues with Pakistan are strictly bilateral.

This is not the first exchange of this kind. Erdogan has raised Kashmir at the General Assembly in several earlier years, and India has each time objected to the references. The dispute has been a source of friction since India revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. Turkey has drawn closer to Pakistan in recent years, which has added to the strain in relations with New Delhi.

The exchange also matters to the Gulf. India is one of the largest buyers of Qatari liquefied natural gas, and the Indian community in Qatar numbers in the hundreds of thousands. Doha maintains close diplomatic and economic ties with New Delhi.