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India-Turkey Joint Statement during the State Visit of the President of Turkey to India (30 April to 1 May 2017)

May 01, 2017

  • President of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Mr. RecepTayyipErdogan, paid a State Visit to India from 30 April-01 May 2017.President Erdogan had earlier visited India in 2008 as the PrimeMinister of Turkey. President Erdogan was accompanied by FirstLady Mme Erdogan and five Cabinet Ministers (Minister of ForeignAffairs Mevlut Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci,Minister of Energy Berat Albayrak, Minister of Culture and TourismNabi Avcı, Minister of Transport, Communications and MaritimeAffairs Ahmet Arslan). Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar,parliamentarians, senior officials and a 150-member businessdelegation from Turkey were also accompanying PresidentErdogan.
  • During the visit, President Erdogan was accorded a ceremonialwelcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. President Erdogan also laid awreath at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the IndianNation. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee held ameeting with President Erdogan, and also hosted a banquet in thehonour of President Erdogan. The Prime Minister of India, ShriNarendra Modi held a one-to- one meeting with President Erdogan,followed by discussions at delegation level. The Vice President ofIndia Shri Mohammed Hamid Ansari and the Minister of ExternalAffairs of India, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, separately called onPresident Erdogan.
  • President Erdogan was also accompanied by a high-level businessdelegation. An India-Turkey Business Forum meeting for the visitingTurkish businessmen and their Indian business counterparts wasorganized during the visit. It was addressed by the President ofTurkey and PM. President Erdoğan was conferred a Honorarydegree (Honoris Causa) by Jamia Millia Islamia University.
  • India-Turkey- A Stable & Friendly Partnership
    • Both Prime Minister Modi and President Erdogan, during thediscussions, affirmed that the relationship between India andTurkey was anchored in historical exchanges between theLeaders and the peoples of the two nations. The richly diverseand secular democracies of both nations provide a valuable baseto further cement the ties between the two nations.
    • Both Leaders agreed that India and Turkey, being among the top20 economies in the world with sound economic fundamentalsand increasing convergence of positions, could contribute toaddressing international issues of mutual interest such as neweconomic order, stability and security of the respective regions.
    • The two Leaders noted that bilatera relations between the twonations have been strengthened by the exchange of high-levelvisits from both sides.
  • Trade & Economic cooperation for mutual prosperity
    • Both Leaders noted the current levels of bilateral trade standingat USD 6.4 billion and agreed that the trade and investmentrelations between India and Turkey had immense untappedpotential for growth. The two Leaders agreed to encouragebusiness efforts to achieve a level of at least USD 10 billion by2020 in bilateral trade. Both Leaders expressed their willingnessfor holding of the Turkey-India Joint Economic CommitteeMeetings regularly.
    • Both Leaders expressed satisfaction that the Business Forumheld during the State visit provided a platform for the businesscommunity to further explore commercial opportunities.
    • Prime Minister Modi highlighted that Turkish investments inIndia’s manufacturing sector, especially in India’s flagshipprogrammes like "Make in India” would be mutually beneficial toboth sides. President Erdogan agreed that India’s infrastructurerequirements and their ambitious vision of developing SmartCities match well with Turkish capacities in construction industry.Both Leaders agreed that mutual cooperation in the field of IT,pharmaceuticals, health and tourism is beneficial to growth ofbilateral trade between the two nations.
    • Pointing to the importance of energy in bilateral relations, bothLeaders expressed their willingness to improve cooperation in4the fields of hydrocarbons, renewable energy (solar and wind)and energy efficiency.
    • Both Leaders agreed that cooperation between India and Turkeyin the field of tourism would be useful for enhancing people-to-people contact between the two nations. In this context, bothLeaders expressed their desire to further encourage touristexchanges between the two countries within the framework ofthe "Agreement on Cooperation in Tourism” signed in1995.Prime Minister Modi highlighted in this regard that Indianfilm industry is now producing films and television shows abroad,which will eventually lead to increased tourist interest.
    • Both Leaders agreed on the necessity of holding frequent civilaviation meetings to boost bilateral cooperation and discuss thepending issues in that field in order to encourage the people-to-people contacts.
  • Cultural Cooperation

    Both Leaders laid high emphasis on people-to- people contactand strengthening cultural linkages between the two nations.Thetwo Leaders noted that ties of culture and language - the Sufitraditions, the exchanges and influences of the Turkish languageon Hindi and vice versa among other linkages - provide a deepconnect between our people. They agreed that the new CulturalExchange Programme would further cement cultural connectionsand institutional relations.
  • India and Turkey-Partners in International CooperationMultilateral Export Control RegimesIndia and Turkey are united by common interests in preventingthe proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) andtheir delivery systems as well as in strengthening MultilateralExport Control Regimes. The two Leaders underlined theirshared interest in strengthening global non-proliferationobjectives. In this regard, President Erdogan welcomed India’saccession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) inJune 2016. Prime Minister Modi thanked President Erdogan forTurkey’s support for India’s membership of the MTCR andapplications to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group andWassenaar Arrangement.
  • Counter-Terrorism
    • The two Leaders exchanged views on other international issuesof common concern, most notably the fight against terrorism.
    • The two Leaders reiterated their strong condemnation of andresolute opposition to terrorism in all its forms andmanifestations, wherever committed and by whomever, anddeclared that there could be no justification for terrorismanywhere. Both sides urged all countries and entities to worksincerely to disrupt terrorist networks and their financing, andstop cross-border movement of terrorists.
    • Both Leaders strongly condemned the use of double standardsin addressing the menace of terrorism and agreed to strengthencooperation in combating terrorism both at the bilateral level andwithin the multilateral system. In this regard, they called for earlyconclusion of negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention onInternational Terrorism.
  • UN Cooperation and UN Reforms
    • The two Leaders jointly agreed that the delegations of bothcountries to the United Nations must cooperate closely andagreed on continuing with this close cooperation at the UN fora.
    • Recognizing the need for comprehensive UN reforms includingthe Security Council expansion to make the body morerepresentative, accountable and effective, both sides agreed towork towards the reform of the UN Security Council in order toenhance its democratic nature and to reflect the reality of thetwenty-first century.
  • AgreementsThe following bilateral agreements and memorandum ofunderstanding were signed during the visit:
    • Cultural Exchange Program for 2017-2020
    • MoU for Cooperation between Foreign Service Institute ofIndia and Diplomacy Academy of Turkey
    • Agreement between the Government of The Republic ofTurkey and the Government of The Republic of India onGainful Occupation for Family Members of the Members ofDiplomatic Mission or Consular Post
    • MoU between Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI),India and Information and Communication TechnologiesAuthority (ICTA), Turkey
    • Cooperation Agreement between Press Trust of India (PTI)and Anadolu Agency (AA) of Turkey
  • Conclusion
    • Both sides expressed satisfaction with regular high-levelcontacts between the two countries that provide the much-needed impetus to progressive enhancement and deepening ofbilateral ties across the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation.
    • President Erdogan extended invitations to the President of Indiaand to the Prime Minister of India for visiting Turkey at mutuallyconvenient time.
    • President of the Republic of Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoganthanked the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and thePrime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi for the warmhospitality extended to him and his delegation.
New Delhi
May 01, 2017



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