Geopolitical Context
- Trigger for boycott: Turkey and Azerbaijan openly supported Pakistan following India’s response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
- Institutional reaction: IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, and JNU suspended MoUs with Turkish universities.
- Public sentiment: Strong boycott calls emerged on social media; many tour operators cancelled promotional offers for Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Relevance : GS 2(International Relations)
Defense & Strategic Alignments
- Turkey–Pakistan military ties:
- Turkey has exported arms to Pakistan since the 1990s.
- Main exports: artillery (guns, howitzers, rocket launchers) and armored vehicles.
- Turkey’s political support for Pakistan:
- Consistent support on the Kashmir issue.
- Pakistan reciprocates by supporting Turkey in its Cyprus dispute.
- Azerbaijan–Turkey nexus:
- Turkey supported Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
- Azerbaijan regained control in 2023; Turkey denied direct involvement.
India’s Strategic Responses
- India–Armenia defense ties:
- India has supplied Armenia with missile systems and rocket launchers.
- No defense trade between India and either Turkey or Azerbaijan as per SIPRI data.
Economic & Trade Impact
- Minimal trade dependence:
- Combined crude oil imports from Turkey & Azerbaijan < 1% of India’s total crude oil imports in past 6 years.
- India, however, is Azerbaijan’s 3rd largest crude oil buyer — boycott would impact Azerbaijan more.
- Machinery imports from Turkey:
- Includes reactors, boilers, and mechanical appliances.
- Turkey’s share in these categories is just ~1%, with India relying more on China and Germany.
Tourism Trends
- India to Turkey:
- Indian tourists < 1% of Turkey’s total tourists in 2024.
- But tourist numbers from India had been rising steadily.
- India to Azerbaijan:
- Indian tourists grew from <6% (2023) to ~10% (2024).
- Boycott calls came at a time of increasing Indian outbound travel to both nations.
Education Ties
- Student inflow rising:
- Indian students in Turkey & Azerbaijan rose from <100 in 2017 to 777 by Jan 2024.
- Indicates growing academic engagement despite recent diplomatic tensions.
