New Delhi, India

For the first time in years, Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has skipped the mention of Kashmir during his annual address at the United National General Assembly. Erdogan has been regularly, in some form or another, mentioning Kashmir since 2019, when India removed the special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two union territories.

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In 2023, he called for the "establishment of a just and lasting peace in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan". In 2022, he used the same phrase and regretted that "strong peace, and cooperation between India and Pakistan had still not yet been established, despite 75 years following their independence."

In 2021, he called for the "resolution" of Kashmir through UN resolutions, something he had said in 2020 as well. He was most vocal in 2019, and said that the "dispute must be resolved through dialogue on the basis of justice and fairness, rather than conflict."

Watch | Gravitas: Erdogan wants India-Pak dialogue on Kashmir

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The absence of comments is expected to further pave the way for positive ties between India and Türkiye. The development comes even as Türkiye is keen to become a member of the BRICS grouping. Joining BRICS could offer Türkiye new economic opportunities, including enhanced trade relations, investment from BRICS countries, and participation in alternative financial mechanisms like the New Development Bank. India is one of the founding members of the BRICS grouping.

During his UNGA address, Erdoğan pointed out, "We maintain our will to develop our relations with BRICS, which brings together emerging economies" and that his country is "deepening engagement with regional organizations, such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the Pacific Islands Forum and particularly ASEAN."

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Also read | India slams Erdogan's Kashmir remark as 'gross interference' in internal affairs

IORA is another grouping that has India as its key member.

Last week, India announced its new ambassador to the country, Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi who is currently an officer on special duty in the Ministry of External Affairs.