India dismisses mention of Kashmir in Turkish president’s UNGA speech as ‘unwarranted’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. File | Photo credit: Reuters

India on Tuesday (Sep 29, 2026) rejected the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as “unwarranted”, saying that no external party has any standing on the Kashmir issue.

During his fortnightly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked how India viewed Mr Erdogan’s recent speech at the UN General Assembly in which he said that in South Asia, all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, should be resolved through dialogue under the UN Charter.

“India rejects the unwarranted references to India and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir made by President Turkiye during his speech at the UN General Assembly,” Jaiswal said.

“This is a matter, as you would understand, of India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and no external party has any active position on the issue,” Mr Jaiswal said. In the past, Delhi has stated that Jammu and Kashmir is, was and will remain an integral part of India.

Published – 29 Sep 2026 22:18 IST