New Delhi’s recent moves to re-engage diplomatically and hold Foreign Office Consultations with diplomats in Turkiye and Azerbaijan is a considerable shift in the government’s policy, especially over the past year. In particular, the Ministry of External Affairs had expressed its disappointment with statements made by Turkiye, Azerbaijan and Malaysia, that questioned the government’s decision to launch strikes on terror sites in Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attacks. Trade and tourism to Turkiye and Azerbaijan dropped significantly for several months, as calls to boycott them went out from influential accounts. In addition, foreign policy commentary suggested that India was building an alliance of India, Armenia, Greece as a counter to their age-old rivals Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkiye, who had already formed a strong trilateral grouping. India has traditionally managed relations between sparring rivals without allowing itself to be hyphenated with Pakistan, or by falling into multilateral “camps”.

Source: The Hindu April 10, 2026 23:10 UTC