There are diplomatic missteps and then there is outright betrayal. What Turkey and Azerbaijan have displayed is not mere insensitivity, it is a full-throated alignment against a nation that once came to their aid without hesitation. Years of goodwill, friendship, and even humanitarian assistance were conveniently forgotten when it came to choose sides.
During sensitive military operations, they openly backed Pakistan, trampling over India’s generosity with hypocrisy, ingratitude, and strategic short-sightedness.
This behaviour warranted more than just a diplomatic frown; it called for a full-blown boycott. And that’s exactly what India has carried out, decisively and in unison.
In 2023, when Turkey was devastated by a powerful earthquake, India was among the first responders. Operation Dost was a large-scale humanitarian mission mobilised within hours, which was not just a policy, but humanity in action. India extended a hand of solidarity.
Also read: India's uncompromising stand against terrorism
Fast forward to 2025, and that very same Turkey, the supposed beneficiary of India has become complicit in undermining its sovereignty. It now supplies military-grade Songar drones, which have been used to violate Indian airspace in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. These are not second-hand deals. This is direct complicity in acts that endanger Indian lives.
And yet, Turkey dares to pretend neutrality, issuing vague statements urging “both sides” to exercise restraint. Turkey’s hollow calls for peace are a smokescreen. If you're actively supplying weapons to a state that harbours, trains, and exports terrorism, you can never be a neutral party.
Turkey wasn’t alone in this selective amnesia. Azerbaijan, too, expressed solidarity not with India in its fight against terror, but with Islamabad.
Let’s be honest: India has long been wary of this alliance, who increasingly behave like ideological cousins. Their joint military exercise in 2021, fittingly titled “Three Brothers,” was an early signal of what was to come. These were not routine drills, they now look more like rehearsals. Rehearsals for shared strategy, shared rhetoric, and shared hostility toward India.
Turkey’s obsession with Kashmir hasn’t helped either. President Erdogan’s repeated, unsolicited remarks on Kashmir at forums like the UN and OIC have further soured bilateral relations.
Speaking collectively on Kashmir while ignoring Pakistan-occupied territories exposes the alliance's double standards. Now, India isn’t just expressing concern it’s responding.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has terminated its academic partnership with Turkey’s Inonu University, citing national security concerns. Business owners across India are taking a firm stand cancelling collaborations and cutting ties with Turkish firms. Travel platforms have reported an avalanche of cancellations, as Indians rethink their choices.
From boardrooms to boarding gates, a quiet but powerful statement is emerging: even our holiday decisions can be acts of patriotism.
The numbers speak volumes.
In 2024, Turkey’s tourism revenue hit a record $61.1 billion. Of this, a substantial chunk came from India 3,30,000 Indian tourists visited Turkey in 2024, up from just 119,503 in 2014. Azerbaijan witnessed an even steeper rise, from just 4,853 Indian tourists in 2014 to 2,43,589 in 2024, according to its tourism board. Well, those numbers are now about to change.
India is now reassessing ties not only with Pakistan but with those who cheerlead its proxies. In direct response to the “Three Brothers” axis, India has deepened strategic cooperation with their adversaries— Greece, Armenia, Israel, and Cyprus. Defence ties with Cyprus have expanded, and India is working more closely with Gulf states like UAE and Saudi Arabia to balance the influence of this trio.
These are deliberate geopolitical counterweights. Both states made their choice, aligning with terror sympathisers, supplying arms to proxies, and iterating anti-India rhetoric. India, too, has made their choice, not with anger, but with clarity.
The message is simple, ‘You cannot insult India’s sovereignty, aid its enemies and still expect their business, tourism or goodwill. India believes in peace, but not at the cost of self-respect.’
It is evident that both Turkey and Azerbaijan axed their own feet and cut the very branch they were sitting on.
PM Modi’s words are now rising louder than ever that “Trade and terror cannot flow together.” Both nations chose to be on the wrong side of history, now they cannot expect India to fund their future.
By Shyna Gupta
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