The South Asian neighbours, with a long history of hostility, faced one of their worst military clashes in decades earlier this month as both launched drone and missile strikes, causing major damage and civilian casualties.
The initial Indian strikes on May 7 targeted what the country claimed were “terrorist infrastructure and camps” in Pakistan, as a military response to the death of 26 civilians in an attack on tourists near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir last month.
Although both countries announced a ceasefire on May 10, India has accused Türkiye of publicly supporting Islamabad and supplying weapons to Pakistan used in the recent conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Despite over 3,500 years of economic and cultural ties and more than 274,000 Indian visitors to Türkiye last year, the country’s support for Pakistan has sparked calls in India to boycott Turkish tourism, products, and academic collaborations.
Among these collaborations, India’s publicly funded technical institutes and business schools – such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) – have announced the cancellation of MoUs and partnerships with leading Turkish institutions.
The decision to annul the MoU with Sabancı University has been taken after careful consideration and is in keeping with our institutional responsibility to uphold the values and priorities of our nation
Debashis Chatterjee, IIM Kozhikode
One of those affected is IIM Kozhikode, which terminated its agreement with Sabanci University,with immediate effect as a firm step towards what it referred to as “support of national interest”.
The agreement, which was signed in September 2023 for a period of five years, focused on academic collaboration through student exchanges.
“At IIM Kozhikode, we place utmost importance on aligning our global engagements with the national interest. The decision to annul the MoU with Sabancı University has been taken after careful consideration and is in keeping with our institutional responsibility to uphold the values and priorities of our nation,” stated Debashis Chatterjee, director of IIM Kozhikode.
“We remain committed to fostering international collaborations that reflect mutual respect, strategic alignment and shared national values.”
Some IITs have also decided to terminate partnerships with Turkish institutions, with IIT Roorkee cancelling its MoU with Inonu University, citing its commitment to “fostering global collaborations that reflect its academic priorities and uphold national interest”.
“Due to the current geopolitical situation involving Turkey, IIT Bombay is processing suspension of its agreements with Turkish universities until further notice,” read a statement from IIT Bombay.
Other public and central universities, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Kota University, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, and Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, have also announced their decision to cancel existing partnerships with Sinop University, Afyon Kocatepe University, the Yunus Emre Institute, and Istanbul University.
Some institutions, such as Delhi University, have opted to review their international partnerships in light of the current geopolitical situation and may announce their decisions at a later date.
“We are currently reviewing all the MoUs and will make a decision after thoroughly assessing the agreements,” stated a senior official from Delhi University.
Punjab-based private university, Lovely Professional University, also announced its decision to terminate partnerships not only with Turkish institutions but also with Azerbaijani counterparts, citing Azerbaijan’s condemnation of India’s strikes against Pakistan.
“When our brave armed forces are risking their lives – whether in covert operations, air defence, or patrolling our borders – we, as an institution, cannot remain indifferent,” stated LPU founder chancellor and Rajya Sabha member, Ashok Kumar Mittal.
“LPU’s mission has always been aligned with the growth and integrity of India, and we will never associate with any institution that undermines India’s sovereignty.”
Moreover, another private institution, Chandigarh University, has ended its collaborations with over 23 Turkish and Azerbaijani institutions.
The announcements, cancelling Turkish partnerships, come just days after the Association of Indian Universities wrote to vice chancellors across India to cancel their MOUs and other partnerships with institutes from Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Although the Indian community in Türkiye is relatively small, over 300 Indian students are currently studying in the country, while a significant number of Indian medical students are also enrolled in institutions across Azerbaijan.
Calls for boycotts on social media and through other campaigns across India could also threaten India and Türkiye’s trade relations, which is worth billions of dollars.
While India exported goods worth $5.2 billion to Türkiye between April 2024 and February 2025, according to Indian government data, Türkiye exported goods valued at $2.84 billion to India during the same period.
While experts believe that the boycott campaign would have limited impact and not significantly affect the bilateral trade between the two countries, a prolonged trend could result in problems.
“If the boycott persists over an extended period, it could potentially have a more negative impact on trade relations between the two countries,” Prasanta Kumar Pradhan, a research fellow and coordinator of the West Asia Centre, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said.
