NEW DELHI (Dispatches) – India and Turkey are moving to mend bilateral relations after a diplomatic freeze triggered by last year’s Kashmir crisis, with senior officials holding their first consultations in nearly a year, sources from both sides have said. 
The thaw follows a period of heightened tensions that erupted after an April 2025 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians, sparking a military confrontation between Pakistan and India.
Ankara publicly backed Pakistan, prompting Indian media to portray Turkey as an enemy and accuse it of sending military reinforcements to Islamabad – a charge Turkish officials strongly denied.
“Routine engagements such as port visits and cargo flights have been misconstrued as additional or new deliveries,” a Turkish official familiar with the matter said. 
The diplomatic fallout took a toll on Turkish commercial interests in India. New Delhi revoked the security clearance of Turkish company Celebi Airport Services India, which handled operations at nine airports including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, citing national security concerns. 
Air India also announced plans to reduce its reliance on Turkish Technic for aircraft maintenance. Indian tourist arrivals to Turkey fell from 330,000 to 250,000 in 2025, a drop of nearly 25 percent, according to Turkish culture ministry statistics.
Bilateral trade declined from $9 billion to $7.5 billion in 2025, according to Turkish data, though Indian officials note commercial ties remained relatively resilient.
Last month, India unexpectedly invited Turkey for the 12th round of bilateral consultations in New Delhi. Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci co-chaired the talks with Sibi George, secretary (West) at India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
“We have decided to mend bilateral ties,” an Indian official said. “We believe dialogue is better than not talking and deepening disagreements and misunderstandings. And the conversations have been satisfactory.”
Turkish officials credited their decision not to respond to Indian parliamentary criticism or punitive measures as a key factor enabling the rapprochement. 
“We decided not to respond in order to de-escalate the situation,” a Turkish official said. “Let it take its course, and then work from there.”
According to sources in Ankara, India has also shown renewed interest in diversifying its connectivity options following the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and the chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz since late February. 
New Delhi is now exploring Turkey’s Middle Corridor project linking East Asia to Europe through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, as its previously favored India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor faces uncertainty amid regional tensions.
One fundamental issue remains Kashmir. Turkey continues to support Pakistan’s position, though officials on both sides are evaluating options for higher-level visits to further solidify relations, the Indian official said. 
Turkey’s recent decision to soften its rhetoric on the issue had helped create space for dialogue, sources added.