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Turkey followed a policy of restricting arms sales to India in order to not irk close ally Pakistan, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) recently revealed.
Speaking to the members of the Defense Commission in the Turkish Parliament in December, the commission chairman, Faruk Özlü, said the government directive on the sale of defense products to India was restricted to non-lethal items only when he was involved in talks as the deputy head of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), the government's top arms procurement agency.
“I wanted to finish my speech with an anecdote,” Özlü said, while moderating the debate in the Defense Commission on Dec. 9 meeting where he volunteered the information to lawmakers. He said he went to India for a defense industry fair and was accompanied by officials from ASELSAN, a state-owned defense giant in electronics and weapons systems in Turkey. He said ASELSAN officials told him about the possibility of marketing military-grade handheld radios to India in large quantities.
Özlü said the Turkish Foreign Ministry's view, as relayed by the Turkish Embassy in New Delhi, was “If it is not an explosive, guns or deadlier arms such as missiles, then items like radios and vehicles can be sold.”
“I mean [to do so] without alienating or offending Pakistan,” he added.
The policy of restricting the sale of defense products to just non-lethal items for India was never announced publicly by Turkey.
The chairman of the Defense Commission did not disclose the date of the visit to India but said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was foreign minister at the time. Davutoğlu served as foreign minister between 2009 and 2014.
He noted that the policy on defense product sales was decided jointly by the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, as well as by the office of the Chief of General Staff.
Turkey has friendly bilateral relations with both Pakistan and India, but leans towards Pakistan due to their long historical and cultural ties. Turkey and Pakistan support each other on all international platforms, and Pakistan has adopted a highly supportive approach on international matters that are of special interest to Turkey.
Turkey has also started displaying more interest in cultivating better ties with India as part of its policy of opening up further to Asia and Southeast Asia.
In 2010 Turkey organized an international conference on Afghanistan, the İstanbul Summit on Friendship and Cooperation in the “Heart of Asia.” India was not invited to the summit as Pakistan objected to its participation, prompting New Delhi to express its disappointment to Ankara.
Turkey limits defense sales to India to appease Pakistan
Speaking to the members of the Defense Commission in the Turkish Parliament in December, the commission chairman, Faruk Özlü, said the government directive on the sale of defense products to India was restricted to non-lethal items only when he was involved in talks as the deputy head of the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), the government's top arms procurement agency.
“I wanted to finish my speech with an anecdote,” Özlü said, while moderating the debate in the Defense Commission on Dec. 9 meeting where he volunteered the information to lawmakers. He said he went to India for a defense industry fair and was accompanied by officials from ASELSAN, a state-owned defense giant in electronics and weapons systems in Turkey. He said ASELSAN officials told him about the possibility of marketing military-grade handheld radios to India in large quantities.
Özlü said the Turkish Foreign Ministry's view, as relayed by the Turkish Embassy in New Delhi, was “If it is not an explosive, guns or deadlier arms such as missiles, then items like radios and vehicles can be sold.”
“I mean [to do so] without alienating or offending Pakistan,” he added.
The policy of restricting the sale of defense products to just non-lethal items for India was never announced publicly by Turkey.
The chairman of the Defense Commission did not disclose the date of the visit to India but said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was foreign minister at the time. Davutoğlu served as foreign minister between 2009 and 2014.
He noted that the policy on defense product sales was decided jointly by the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, as well as by the office of the Chief of General Staff.
Turkey has friendly bilateral relations with both Pakistan and India, but leans towards Pakistan due to their long historical and cultural ties. Turkey and Pakistan support each other on all international platforms, and Pakistan has adopted a highly supportive approach on international matters that are of special interest to Turkey.
Turkey has also started displaying more interest in cultivating better ties with India as part of its policy of opening up further to Asia and Southeast Asia.
In 2010 Turkey organized an international conference on Afghanistan, the İstanbul Summit on Friendship and Cooperation in the “Heart of Asia.” India was not invited to the summit as Pakistan objected to its participation, prompting New Delhi to express its disappointment to Ankara.
Turkey limits defense sales to India to appease Pakistan
