Modi calls off Ankara visit after Turkish President Erdogan's backs Pakistan on Kashmir, FATF

New Delhi, Oct 20: India has decided to give the cold shoulder to its ties with Turkey, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled a two-day official visit to Turkey's capital Ankara that was to take place at the end of October. The decision comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly raised Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly and his country backing Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meet in Paris.

At the FATF meeting, Turkey had supported Pakistan along with Malaysia and China. It is believed that with the support of these countries, Pakistan was saved from being blacklisted for the time being.

PM Modi's trip to Ankara would have been his first stand-alone visit to Turkey. He was to have proceeded to Turkey from Saudi Arabia, where he is going on October 27-28 to attend a mega-investment summit.

During Modi's visit, mutual cooperation in the field of trade and defense was on the plate, but now his visit has been canceled, indicating the distance in India's relations with Turkey. However, there have never been warm relations between the two countries.

Earlier, there were also indications of a cut in palm oil imports from Malaysia as it had also raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations and supported Pakistan's stand.

Meanwhile, there has been no statement from the Ministry of External Affairs regarding the Prime Minister's visit. But a source in the ministry told news agency IANS that the prime minister's visit had not been decided, so where does the question of his cancellation arise.