Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, urging dialogue over disputes in South Asia and referring to the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.
Addressing the assembly’s 81st session in New York, Erdogan said: “In South Asia, it is important that all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, be addressed through dialogue within the framework of the United Nations Charter and of relevant resolutions.” His remarks renewed a diplomatic disagreement with New Delhi over whether Kashmir should be discussed in international forums.
Erdogan did not set out a proposed negotiating process in the passage concerning South Asia. His reference to UN resolutions nonetheless carries political weight: Pakistan has long sought international attention to Kashmir, while India maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and rejects outside mediation. India and Pakistan each administer part of the region and claim it in full.
New Delhi’s position is that differences with Pakistan should be addressed bilaterally. After Erdogan raised Kashmir at last year’s General Assembly, a Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said India’s stance had not changed and ruled out third-party mediation. That was a response to his earlier remarks; it should not be read as a fresh government reaction to Tuesday’s speech.
The 1972 Simla Agreement, signed by India and Pakistan after their 1971 war, commits the two countries to settle differences through bilateral negotiations or another peaceful method they mutually agree upon. It also says the principles and purposes of the UN Charter should govern their relations. The agreement remains central to India’s diplomatic argument for direct talks.
The UN has also referred to both the Charter and applicable Security Council resolutions when discussing Kashmir. In a 2019 statement, the secretary-general recalled the Simla Agreement and appealed for restraint. Erdogan’s wording therefore invokes a framework on which the parties continue to place different diplomatic emphasis.
Kashmir was a brief part of Erdogan’s wider address. He also called for reform of the UN Security Council and criticised its ability to preserve peace, while devoting substantial attention to the war in Gaza and urging greater recognition of a Palestinian state.
