Expect Turkey to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism: MEA

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) India on Thursday emphasised that it expects Turkey to "strongly urge" Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harboured for decades.

"We expect Turkey to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harboured for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

Led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has openly backed Pakistan's aggression and military response to India's decisive Operation Sindoor targeting Pakistani terror infrastructure.

Last week, in a strong retaliatory measure, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd offering ground handling services at nine airports, in the interest of national security.

The order came days after Turkey backed Islamabad and condemned India's Operation Sindoor launched to avenge the killing of 26 innocent people in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

The drones launched by Pakistan on a large-scale targetting Indian regions and military bases earlier this month - all attacks successfully thwarted by India's air defence systems - were also sourced from Turkey.

"This (Celebi) matter has been discussed with the Turkish Embassy here and our Ministry of External Affairs. However, I understand that this particular decision was taken by the Civil Aviation Security, as they are mandated to handle security issues," Jaiswal mentioned on Thursday.

Under Erdogan's rule, Turkey has undergone a dramatic transformation from a relatively secular, pro-Western democracy to a country moving towards Islamist populism. Central to this transformation has been Erdogan's use of the media as a strategic weapon, both at domestic and international fronts.

Ankara's military, diplomatic and media support to Islamabad has added fuel to fire over the past few weeks.

Erdogan met Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hours after the Pahalgam attack which was conducted by The Resistance Front (TRF), an extended group of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Post Operation Sindoor, Erdogan vocally condemned India's air strikes, reiterating solidarity with Pakistan during a call with Sharif.

Earlier, six Turkish C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, possibly carrying an arms shipment, landed at Karachi airport on April 27 and on May 2. A Turkish warship, TCG Buyukada (F-512), the second ship of the Ada-class ASW corvettes of the Turkish Navy, had also docked at Karachi.

--IANS

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