Muslim nationalist Erdogan meets Hindu nationalist Modi

The visit by Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to India has caught the international attention with his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being described as coming together of two right-wingers by Deutsche Welle. The similarities between the two leaders have not gone unnoticed as both are viewed as nationalists who are at the helm of affairs of key nations in this part of the world.

Erdogan was in New Delhi on Sunday and much is lined up for his meeting with Prime Minister Modi from India’s bid for Nuclear Supplier’s Group (NSG) membership to cooperation on terrorism. Both Modi and Erdogan have strong personalities and are known to be tough leaders. Turkey’s president has come to India after filing a criminal complaint against a German comedian over a satirical poem mocking him. “While Modi and his supporters advocate an illiberal form of Hindu nationalism, Erdogan and his followers are the standard-bearers of Muslim conservatism. Both leaders espouse majoritarian politics in their countries, with all the concomitant effects of rising intolerance and communal tensions,” said the German news agency in a commentary on Erdogan’s visit.

Turkey has been a close ally of Pakistan, but India has gone ahead to strengthen ties with a key nation in the Middle-East. Ahead of his visit, India played down the Turkey-Pakistan proximity as well as Ankara’s statements on Jammu and Kashmir, saying it is their bilateral matter. “We have always emphasised that India-Turkey relations stand on their own footing and, we believe, the Turkish side reciprocates our sentiment,” Ruchi Ghanashyam, secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, said, adding that India’s position on J&K is well known that it is an integral part of the country.

Turkey is not directly opposed to India’s NSG membership or to its entry to the Missile Control Technology Regime (MTCR), but has been maintaining that the powerful bloc should come out with a system to consider the entry of the countries, which are not signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as also supporting Pakistan’s case, diplomatic sources said.

Turkey had sought India’s cooperation particularly on terrorism as it had hunted for the members of the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation (FETO), an outfit that had carried out failed coup last year. Some FETO members, it says, are in India.

The visit by Turkey’s president was also seen as a diplomatic balancing act by India. Days before Erdogam, India hosted Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades. Cyprus and Turkey have been at loggerheads but New Delhi has good relations with both.

Erdogan seems to have not taken any negative notice of his schedule in India as he has come with a big delegation of around 150 businessmen and officials and will take part in the India-Turkey Business Forum. On Sunday, he was received by President Pranab Mukherjee.