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India slams Turkey, Malaysia again for raking up Kashmir issue

WION
New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaWritten By: Sidhant SibalUpdated: Oct 24, 2019, 06:56 PM IST
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File photo: Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Photograph:(Zee News Network)

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Reports have suggested India is cutting down its import of palm oil from Malaysia due to the recent statements being made by Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad on Kashmir.

India has come out strongly against Malaysia and Turkey for raking up Kashmir and said traders are can't be "impervious" to ties between any two countries.

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar met with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Baku, Azerbaijan on the sidelines of Non-AlignedMovement (NAM) and along with a host of issues, raised the issue of extradition of Zakir Naik, the Islamic preacher who has taken permanent residency in the east Asian country.

Noting the comments made by the Malaysian PM, MEA said, "his statements are unacceptable and are not keeping with the facts and we hope Malaysia will do serious introspection on the position it has taken."

Asked about the impact on trade between the two countries, the MEA spokesperson said while "decision to import any commodity or otherwise, is the prerogative of the importing company" but at the "same time they are not impervious to the state of affairs between any two countries."

Reports have suggested India is cutting down its import of palm oil from Malaysia due to the recent statements being made by Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad on Kashmir. In the last financial year, trade between the two countries was $17.24 billion.

On Turkey, he said, "We have said in the past these statements are not factually accurate and we have made our view very clear to them" and do expect the "Turkish government to show better understanding" before they make any further comments.

Earlier this week, India had issued a travel advisory for Indian tourists going to the West Asian country, which can impact the number of Indians going to the country. New Delhi had also slammed Turkey's "unilateral military offensive" in northern Syria and asked the country to "exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria."