Turkiye Cancels Construction Deal
It seems that as a reaction to Turkey’s unflinching support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue India canceled a contract with a Turkish firm involved in a ship-building project in India .This cancellation took place while India was hosting the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff at a fighter base.Economic links between India and Turkey have plummeted due to what what New Delhi views as Turkiye’s inability to decouple itself from Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir. Since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution 5 years ago in Jammu and Kashmir Turkey has utilised every opportunity to raise the issue at international forums.
India Reacts
The Indian government has been responding by wooing leaders of Armenia, Cyprus and Greece being countries with which Turkey is embroiled in disputes. In the year 2019 the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to visit Turkiye and Saudi Arabia however, the Indian Prime Minister went to Saudi Arabia and cancelled his visit to Turkiye in what was seen as a diplomatic cold shoulder to Turkiye.
Indian Navy Fleet Ships Contract
Indian Navy integral components are Fleet Support Ships (FSS) strategically thought to extend its avowed “ Blue Water capabilities “ . The contract with Turkey’s Anadolu Shipyard was for the replenishment of Fleet Ships at sea with a 40,000 tonne displacement , enabling extended operations at sea without the need to return to harbour .
Credit;Maritime Executive
Turkiye Remains Unfazed
India’s relations with Turkey may sour after indications that Turkiye has imposed a moratorium on exports of arms and defense items to India as disclosed by a senior government official to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Parliament. The decision came on the heels of the cancelation of a large shipbuilding contract that the Indian Navy had previously signed with a Turkish shipyard.The Turkish government has not recently approved any sale of defense products in instances where the customer is based in India.
Turkiye Unflinching Support to Pakistan
The Turkish official formally informed lawmakers that India is one of the world’s top five arms importers and a potential purchaser of armaments and its weaponry supplies and contracts are worth around $100 billion . The Turkish official stance remains that on account of Turkiye’s political circumstances and deep friendship with Pakistan it is not in favour of exporting any defense related products to India and consequently nor can the government grant any permits to Turkish companies in this regard .
Credit;SEAANDJOB
Turkey’s Anadolu Shipyard
In April this year India cancelled a lucrative shipbuilding consultancy agreement with Turkey’s Anadolu Shipyard being part part of the TAIS consortium. The contract was worth around $2 billion involving the construction of five Fleet Support Ships for the Indian Navy at India’s Hindustan Shipyard, with technology and engineering support being provided by Anadolu Shipyards. India has ostensibly decided to build the vessels locally sans Turkish participation.As a face saving measure perhaps , India has termed the termination of the contract as part of its maritime policy to boost capacity for local shipbuilding.In international maritime circles the underlying cause is perceived to be India’s discomfiture with Turkiye’s strong ties to Pakistan. It remains to be seen if India has the engineering and design capability to construct the Fleet Support Ships or will eventually be compelled to seek external technical assistance.
Author ; Nadir Mumtaz
Source/Credit
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/hindustan-shipyard-limited-terminates-turkish-firms-contract-navy-fleet-support-ship-2526185-2024-04-11
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/india-kicks-out-turkey-from-navys-shipping/
https://www.seaandjob.com/after-india-cancels-shipbuilding-order-turkey-suspends-defense-exports/
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