Modi Defers Visit to Turkey on Erdogan’s Kashmir Comments: Hindu

(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not go ahead with a planned visit to Ankara this year to show displeasure over the Turkish President’s comments on India revoking autonomy of Kashmir, the Hindu newspaper reported, citing government officials it didn’t identify.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had urged India to hold talks with Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir following Modi’s decision in August to revoke seven decades of autonomy in the disputed Muslim-majority state.

Other measures including possible cancellation of a $2.3 billion tender granted to Turkey’s Anadolu Shipyard earlier this year to help build five 45,000-tonne fleet support ships for the Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., Hindu reported, citing the unnamed officials. Turkey’s Ambassador to India Sakir Ozkan Torunlar told the newspaper that his country is awaiting dates for Modi’s proposed visit and hopes that the order for ships will be retained.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anurag Kotoky in New Delhi at akotoky@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Anto Antony, Siraj Datoo

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