India’s new envoy to Türkiye hails Turkish culture, civilization

India's newly appointed ambassador to Türkiye said there are few countries in the world that have a heritage comparable to Türkiye's.

Muktesh Pardeshi told Anadolu that he spends his early hours reading newspapers to stay updated on developments in the country where he is stationed.

He said he felt "very good" when he learned he was being appointed as ambassador to Türkiye.

"Coming from India, again, a civilizational state, it's always a great honor to serve in a country which is very rich in history, culture," he added as he praised Türkiye as a beautiful country that is active culturally and diplomatically.

"There is not a single day where nothing is happening. It keeps a foreign diplomat busy occupied and enjoying life around here," he stated.

Despite being in Turkey for one month, Pardeshi shared some of the cities he has visited, including Istanbul and Konya, where he attended the 748th anniversary of the death of the famous 13th century Islamic poet and scholar, Rumi.

He highlighted that India also has similar Sufi traditions and described his experience attending the Şeb-i Aruz ceremony in Konya as "fascinating."

-BOLLYWOOD'S RECOGNITION

Pardeshi noted the popularity of Turkish television shows in India and said before he arrived in Ankara, people mentioned them to him.

He underlined that Turkish series are very popular in India, and he was pleased to learn that Bollywood is also recognized in Türkiye.

He said the shared interest could be an opportunity for further cooperation in the film and television sectors.

-India fifth-largest economy

Pardeshi also spoke about diplomatic relations between India and Türkiye, which date to 1948.

He noted ties have lasted for about 75 years and emphasized their significance.

India is currently the fifth-largest economy in the world, Pardeshi said, adding that it is set to become the third-largest in the next three to five years.

He also indicated that Türkiye ranks 11th in terms of GDP by purchasing power parity and has a young population, similar to India's.

Pardeshi stated India has a strong commitment to becoming a developed nation by 2047.

-TRADE VOLUME AIMED TO REACH $20 BILLION

The ambassador also touched on trade relations between India and Türkiye

He said the bilateral trade volume reached $14 billion two years ago, and while 2023 figures had not yet been released, they were expected to be around $10 billion.

Pardeshi said the figure is below the potential of the two countries and revealed that efforts are underway to raise the volume to $20 billion.

He added that new opportunities are being explored to enhance trade and investment relations between the two countries.