The Ministry of External Affairs also confirmed the meeting of the two leaders and said on social media that bilateral relations were reviewed
Leaders of India and Turkey on Friday met for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Summit in Samarkand to discuss ways to deepen cooperation in various sectors.
Reports and images coming out from Samarkand showed and indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the historic Uzbek city.
Also there were tweets from the Prime minister’s Office about the two leaders meeting and what was discussed when they met.
“PM Narendra Modi held talks with Turkish President Erdogan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.
The Ministry of External Affairs also confirmed the meeting of the two leaders and said on social media that bilateral relations were reviewed; views were exchanged related to regional and global developments. Both also appreciated recent gains in bilateral trade.
Significance of today’s meeting
The meeting between the two leaders PM Modi and Turkish President Erdogan is other from the other earlier announced bilateral engagements. As per the agenda the PM had bilateral meetings with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
It has been reported earlier that Turkey has been a vocal critic of India on the Kashmir issue. And it has raised the issue of Kashmir several times in the past and this has created a rift between the two countries.
PM Modi’s meeting today could provide a breakthrough in ties between the two countries.
India & Turkey
Financial Express Online was the first to report that a consortium of Turkey’s top five leading shipyards, TAIS, was awarded a naval ship building contract by Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) which was worth almost US $2.3 billion.
Experts like Omair Anas, have shared their views with Financial Express Online and said that companies like Savronik of Turkey were part of a defence ministry project related to tunnel building in India’s Leh-Manali highway.
The tourists’ traffic both inward and outward is a preferred destination. Several Indian companies from technology to food are gradually expanding their presence in Turkey.
Indigo Airlines has entered a code share deal with Turkish airlines to get more tourists. There are Indian TV programmes which have been dubbed for the Turkish viewers who constitute the largest viewership in entire West Asia. Canal 7, a Turkish channel, is dedicated completely for the Turkish dubbed Indian Hindi dramas.
Also Read: New opportunities for India-Turkey relations
The historical Sufi relations are the less known aspect of ties between the two countries. Both countries have shared interests from Central Asia to West Asia and Africa.
More about the Defence Contract between the two countries
The contract signed between the two countries is related to the building of 45,000-ton fleet support ships (FSS). There are five ships that will be built under this contract, and will be as part of Make in India initiative.
The Turkish side won the contract as L1 after competing with seven other global companies including: the German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), Italy based Fincantieri, Navantia from Spain, Rosoboronexport (ROE) from Russia and Turkey’s Anadolu Shipyard.
After several rounds of negotiations and discussions, three companies were down selected including ROE, TKMS, and Turkey’s Anadolu Shipyard (Anadolu Shipyard is part of TAIS industrial group).
What is Turkey offering?
The ship design, technical assistance and also will supply the key machinery equipment (KME).
The Indian shipyard HSL is providing latest technology, modular construction and pre-outfitting. Warship grade steel will be used for building the ship for the Indian Navy and painting, blasting, and cable laying will be undertaken by the MSMEs.
https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/pm-modi-breaks-the-ice-india-and-turkey-shake-hands-in-samarkand/2671239/
